Why Did AIADMK Chief Edappadi Miss The Wedding Of Velumani’s Son

A well-known Tamil magazine had an intriguing sobriquet for two AIADMK ex- ministers, SP Velumani and P Thangamani, they were referred to as Bell Boys (Mani in Tamil means bell). These two gentlemen ran a power circuit as useful go-betweens for the party, exalting their worth. On March 3 this year, Velumani celebrated his son’s wedding with great pomp and show. But, the chief guest, AIADMK party head Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) was conspicuous by his absence, even as BJP heavyweights K Annamalai, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, L Murugan and Khushboo Sundar came to greet the couple, Vikas and Dheekshana. Edappadi went off to address a party conclave in Theni, the home ground of his arch rival OPS to decimate his reputation. and perhaps this was one of the reasons why he gave the marriage a miss. There are some who aver that Edappadi did not want to start a talk about the BJP coalition with the obvious presence of the BJP movers and shakers attending the wedding. Did Velumani cause a discord by his closeness to Amit Shah by attending the Isha Foundation’s Mahashivratri celebration? Or was Edappadi cutting his nose to spite the face; his son Mithun is overtly building a bridge to actor Vijay, the Johnny-come-lately, Edappadi may want to nip this budding relationship. But the besieged ex-CM still proclaims that the party under his leadership is the only choice even as DMK is the enemy. This 2026 election circus promises many trapeze acts.