Sasikala’s entry ahead of T.N. Assembly polls may aggravate AIADMK’s woes

With the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) former interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala launching a party of her own and internal divisions within the organisation not having been reconciled as yet, the Dravidian major is perhaps undergoing the most challenging phase of its existence.

The likelihood of the AIADMK’s support base in Tamil Nadu getting fragmented further looms large as Ms. Sasikala, in the launch event of her party in Ramanathapuram on Tuesday (February 24, 2026), trained her guns on AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami for having “let her down” and turning against her after becoming Chief Minister in February 2017 at her behest.

Interacting with journalists in Theni earlier in the day, former Chief Minister and expelled coordinator of the party, O. Panneerselvam, sounded frustrated at being left out in the lurch with Mr. Palaniswami reiterating his position of not taking him back into the AIADMK fold.

Just as the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), led by T.T.V. Dhinakaran, had spoiled the victory chances of the AIADMK and its allies in 20 constituencies during the 2021 Assembly election, Ms. Sasikala’s party or Mr. Panneerselvam staying away from the fray can do it for the upcoming elections. Interestingly, the Dravidian major has taken into its alliance, for the 2026 Assembly polls, the party of Mr. Dhinakaran, till recently a bitter critic of Mr. Palaniswami.

Ms. Sasikala’s choice of Kamuthi, near Pasumpon in Ramanathapuram district, to announce her decision did not appear to be accidental. Even though she did not outwardly seek to present herself as a leader of the Mukkulathor community, to which she belongs, the fact that the proximity of the venue of her meeting to the memorial of former leader of the Forward Bloc, U. Muturamalinga Thevar (1908-1963), regarded as an icon of the community, did not go unnoticed.

More difficulty for AIADMK

Subject to any dramatic realignment of political forces — the coming together of Mr. Palaniswami and Ms. Sasikala — it looks like the AIADMK may continue to suffer at least in the State’s southern districts. In 2021, the former interim general secretary, who returned to Chennai in February that year after completing her sentence in a Bengaluru jail, stayed away from the political scene at the time of the Assembly polls.

During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when the BJP-led front included the AMMK and Mr. Panneerselvam, the AIADMK forfeited its deposit in five southern constituencies, apart from two more in the rest of the State. Needless to say, the Dravidian major’s worst performance was in the southern region in terms of average votes per Lok Sabha constituency with about 1.59 lakh per seat, as against 3.26 lakh in the west, 2.97 lakh in the north and 2.63 lakh in the Cauvery delta. There is an expectation in certain quarters that Mr. Dhinakaran’s presence would improve the showing of the AIADMK in the south and the delta region.

Pointing to the fact that Mr. Dhinakaran has aligned with the AIADMK-led front, former Minister Dindigul C. Sreenivasan observed that the AMMK leader was once considered an advisor to Ms. Sasikala and her family. “Just like him, everyone who has been or had been part of the AIADMK should strive to work for the success of the party,” Mr Sreenivasan said. Another former Minister, R.B. Udhayakumar, expressed hope that a day will come when Ms. Sasiakala too would acknowledge that “Mr. Palaniswami represents the AIADMK”, on the lines of Mr. Dhinakaran.

However, P.M. Narasimhan, former legislator who is with the Sasikala camp, said it was only after successive electoral setbacks of the AIADMK, under Mr Palaniswami’s leadership, that Ms. Sasikala has chosen to launch a party to take on the DMK. “In the process, there might be collateral damage. But that is inevitable as the ultimate objective is to defeat the political adversary — the DMK.”

Regardless of pros and cons of Ms. Sasikala’s move, it is certain that the troubled days for the AIADMK are not yet over.