Chennai:
A meeting of the senior most leaders of the DMK comprising the party's General Council - the highest decision-making body - saw the usual tension over the issue of who will replace M Karunanidhi as party president when he retires. Mr Karunanidhi's sons, MK Stalin and MK Alagiri, both want the job. However, Mr Alagiri, who was present in the morning session, skipped the evening session; only Mr Stalin was present in the evening session.
After the meeting, reporters asked Mr Karunanidhi about a recent survey published by a local magazine that shows most party workers favour Mr Stalin as his father's successor. Mr Karunanidhi responded, "Will I deny that if my son gets such an honour?" This was interpreted by Mr Stalin's supporters as a vote of confidence for their leader by his father.
But Mr Karunanidhi also told reporters "There is no confusion over who's DMK's next president. The elections for party president will be held after the organisational polls. It may take one year."
Sources tell NDTV that senior leader Veerapandi Arumugham opposed any discussion of succession plans while Mr Karunanidhi is in charge. He said that the party president's two sons, known to be bitter rivals, are like his two eyes.
Mr Stalin and his brother, MK Alagiri, have both been clamouring to be named the official heir to their father's considerable political legacy. Mr Alagiri, who has been deputed by his father to Delhi as a union minister, is keen to return to run the show in Tamil Nadu.
Mr Karunanidh's daughter, M Kanimozhi, who is reportedly his favourite child, also attended this evening's meeting. She was released from jail recently and is on trial for her alleged role in the telecom scam. A Raja, also from the DMK, is accused of masterminding that swindle, estimated to be India's biggest case of graft. Mr Raja has spent a year in Tihar Jail in Delhi.