AIADMK presidium chairman Madhusudhanan passes away at 81

AIADMK Presidium Chairman E Madhusudhanan, one of the founding members of the party and a die-hard fan of the party's founder and legendary actor M G Ramachandran, passed away here on Thursday after a brief illness. He was 81.

Madhusudhanan took his last breath at 3.42 pm at the Apollo Hospitals where he was being treated since July 18 for multiorgan dysfunction and sepsis. “Despite all active medical measures, his condition deteriorated gradually and passed away today,” the hospital said in a statement.

Chief Minister M K Stalin and top brass of the AIADMK – O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami – condoled Madhusudhanan’s death. His mortal remains will be taken to his residence in Chennai and he is likely to be cremated on Friday.

Madhusudhanan was one of the senior leaders of the AIADMK and had sided with Panneerselvam when he rebelled against V K Sasikala in 2017, months after J Jayalalithaa died. Presidium Chairman is a powerful post in the AIADMK and Madhusudhanan has remained in the post since 2007 when he was appointed for the first time by Jayalalithaa.

The 81-year-old was a staunch loyalist of Jayalalithaa, who had heaped praise on him on more than one occasion. Madhusudhanan was an ardent fan of MGR and joined the AIADMK in 1972 when the legendary actor launched the party.

He was one of the powerful leaders of the AIADMK in Chennai and had served as a minister in Jayalalithaa’s first regime from 1991 to 1996. In March 2017, he had filed a petition with the Election Commission challenging the election of Sasikala as interim general secretary of the AIADMK leading to the freezing of the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol.

A few months later, he along with Panneerselvam and Palaniswami got the symbol back after the two factions merged. With his death, the AIADMK will have to elect a new presidium chairman.