The Panneerselvam faction of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam had met earlier in the day after inconclusive talks on Friday night with the AIADMK faction led by Chief Minister K. Palaniswami. The two factions had been expected to announce a merger on Friday night, but the Panneerselvam faction began arguing over some issues among themselves. Some members want the Central Bureau of Investigation to go into the death last December of their idol, J. Jayalalithaa, who died in harness as Chief Minister and AIADMK chief following a prolonged illness. Following Jayalalithaa’s death, Panneerselvam had taken over as party boss and Chief Minister, only to be brushed aside by Sasikala. Dhinakaran, who spoke to reporters on Friday after meeting Sasikala—still the AIADMK’s general secretary—at a Bengaluru jail on her birthday, had downplayed the expected merger of the AIADMK factions.

Source: The Telegraph August 19, 2017 10:30 UTC