Chennai, Jun 23 (IANS): The general council meeting of the opposition AIADMK, which was to commence at 10 a.m. at the Srivari Kalyana Mandapam at Vanagaram, was delayed due to heavy traffic jam.

AIADMK sources told IANS that the meeting will now commence only at 11 a.m.

Traffic came to a standstill for nearly 5 km surrounding the Srivari Kalyana Mandapam at Vanagaram and vehicles were moving at a snail's pace.

Both the party coordinator O. Panneerselvam, and joint coordinator K. Palaniswami were stuck in the traffic. Sources told IANS that an ambulance was also stuck in a traffic jam at Aminjikarai near the hall where the meeting was to be held.

Office goers and school children also got stuck in the traffic that was moving at snail's pace.

The AIADMK general council meeting to be held in Chennai is happening in the midst of a controversy over the Palaniswami group trying to take over the party by amending the by-law and opting for a single leadership for the party.

Palaniswami was emerging as a single leader of the party and becoming the AIADMK general secretary, but a division bench of the Madras High Court in a late-night hearing at 2.40 a.m. on Thursday restrained the general council from amending any by-law much to the relief of the Panneerselvam faction.

A single bench of the Madras High Court represented by Justice Krishnan Ramasamy had on Wednesday night refused to interfere in the AIADMK general council meeting following which a general council member, Shanmugham had filed an urgent petition before the Madras High Court.