CHENNAI: An ‘integration committee’ consisting of J.C.D. Prabhakar, K.C. Palanisamy and Va Pugazhendhi has been formed to unite the AIADMK factions.
Ever since the rout of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami, in the Lok Sabha elections, there have been stronger calls for the reunifications of all the splinter groups of the party. The DMK and its allies won all 40 seats in the Lok Sabha polls and a further analysis of votes in 14 constituencies in Tamil Nadu revealed that the AIADMK had more than 30% vote share in just four. In fact, the AIADMK lost its deposit in the elections for the first time since its inception in 1972. The AIADMK, which ruled Tamil Nadu seven times and has faced 13 Lok Sabha polls, lost its deposit in seven of the 34 constituencies it contested on its two leaves symbol. The decreasing popularity of the once powerful Dravidian party now has its senior leaders and cadre worried about its future in the southern state. And now the AIADMK has announced that it will not contest the Vikravandi byelection in the state, citing political factors and “malpractice and irregularities” by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). However, insiders state that the party cannot face another defeat, especially in a constituency where the Pattali Makkal Katchi and DMK are strong.
Meanwhile, an “integration committee”, consisting of former Members of Legislative Assembly, J.C.D. Prabhakar and K.C. Palanisamy, and former spokesperson, Va Pugazhendhi, has been formed to unite the AIADMK factions. They sent out a letter to the four leaders—Edappadi K. Palaniswami, O. Panneerselvam, T.T.V. Dhinakaran and V.K. Sasikala, emphasising the need for unity at this hour and sought appointments with them to discuss the issue. So, will the factions that emerged post the demise of Dr J. Jayalalithaa now merge to strengthen the party once again?
SASIKALA, OPS AND DHINAKARAN
Former interim general secretary and close aide of Jayalalithaa, V.K. Sasikala, announced her re-entry into politics on June 16, and predicted that the AIADMK would have a landslide victory in the 2026 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. She stated, “This is the time I have been telling you, there is no need for any concern. For sure, the people of Tamil Nadu are on our side…. I am very strong… it cannot be thought that the AIADMK is finished and it is because my entry (re-entry) has commenced.”
She also reiterated that the “caste-based politics”, which had now become prevalent in the AIADMK was also a cause for concern. “Amma (Jayalalithaa) was from an upper caste. But she had me close to her. Similarly, I wouldn’t have made him (Palaniswami) CM if I had accorded importance to caste. However, I have come to know that a particular section was being given importance within the party. They have harmed themselves as well as the party,” said Sasikala.
However, senior AIADMK leader, D. Jayakumar, in reply to Sasikala’s statement, told the media, “What did she say in 2021? She said she will stay away from politics. She is not a member of AIADMK. She has nothing to do with the party and she says she has made an entry. You (Sasikala) have already been given the exit and how can you make an entry?”
As for former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who was expelled from the AIADMK in 2022, two of his ardent supporters quit OPS’ AIADMK Workers’ Rights Retrieval Committee on June 15 as they said he had chosen “the wrong path”. Former Villivakkam legislator J.C.D Prabhakar, a key aide of Panneerselvam, and V. Pugazhendhi are no longer part of Team OPS. Pugazhendhi told the media: “We don’t agree with the path chosen by Panneerselvam. We want the party to become a strong political force in the state. Our cadres cannot tolerate defeat anymore. Edappadi Palaniswami should bring about unity without allowing his stature to come in the way. Though the party has lost elections in the past, the AIADMK never saw such a major decline in its vote share as it witnessed now. The people have taught a lesson to the AIADMK to remain united.”
When Sasikala’s nephew, T.T.V. Dhinakaran was expelled in 2017 along with her, a defiant Dhinakaran launched his own party, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), in 2018. During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, AMMK was part of the NDA. When he was asked recently about AIADMK’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, Dhinakaran stated that it was Palaniswami who was responsible for the debacle. As for re-unification with the AIADMK, Dhinarakan stated that while he was happy that someone was trying to bring the factions together, the AIADMK leadership and the symbol were being held currently with self-centred persons who only had money power. He added, “Only if the AIADMK workers, who are the real followers of the late J. Jayalalithaa, understand the sorry state of affairs the party is in and come together to revitalise it by changing the current leadership would AIADMK regain its strength.” He also ruled out any merger with the AIADMK at this point.
PALANISWAMI ON REUNIFICATION
While cadres of the party have put out calls for re-uniting the factions, AIADMK general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, has been firmly rejecting these calls, stating that the AIADMK was stronger than before. “First, do not call this a defeat (Lok Sabha polls). We have increased our vote share. The party is strong. We have secured more votes than what we got in the last elections. What have those who parted ways with us got this time? After they left us, we have grown stronger,” reiterated Palaniswami, dismissing the “integration committee”. He further said that the people in Tamil Nadu would vote differently in the 2026 Assembly elections than in the Lok Sabha elections.
Political analyst Bharat Kumar said that Palaniswami would not give in so easily to the calls for re-unification of the AIADMK factions. He explained, “We need to remember that for Palaniswami becoming the general secretary of the party was not a cakewalk. It was a long battle for him in the courts every step of the way right from the party post to the two-leaf symbol. If he decides to allow Dhinakaran, Sasikala and Panneerselvam to return to the AIADMK, then it can again cause friction and factionalism within the party. Now, if at all Palaniswami agrees to allow these expelled leaders and their followers to return, it will clearly be on his terms.”
THE BJP FACTOR
Right now, there are stronger calls for the factions of the AIADMK to reunite but time will tell what decision is taken by the leaders. In all this, there is an important player, the Bharatiya Janata Party, that also needs to be taken into account. The AIADMK broke its alliance with the BJP in 2023 apparently because BJP leader K. Annamalai’s attacks on the party. Going it alone into the Lok Sabha elections in the state, both the AIADMK and the BJP failed to make a mark.
Political commentator Sumanth Raman explained, “The results of the general elections in Tamil Nadu are a setback to the BJP. After investing so much into the campaign, including over a dozen visits by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the marginal increase in vote share should come as a disappointment. The 11.24% vote share the BJP claims to have won also includes the votes of non-BJP leaders who contested on the Lotus symbol. These include O. Panneerselvam, educationists A.C. Shanmugham and Paarivendhar, and Devendrakula Vellalar leader John Pandian.”
When asked whether he sees the possibility of an alliance between the AIADMK and BJP once again before the 2026 Assembly elections, Sumanth Raman replied, “The AIADMK and the BJP, battered by the recent losses, will focus on rebuilding their parties. But both sides know that they do not have the power to individually take on the formidable DMK-led alliance. The DMK never fights elections alone and has a phalanx of parties including the Congress, the Communists, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, and others on its side. To take them on, AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami and the BJP leadership in Delhi know that coming together is necessary, sooner or later.”
Right now though it is the AIADMK integration committee that is trying to rebuild the burnt bridges between the AIADMK and its former members. Former Villivakkam legislator J.C.D. Prabhakar, who is part of the integration committee, had the last word when he said, “We will attempt to speak to Palaniswami, Panneerselvam and Sasikala to bring about a merger as our sole objective is to unite AIADMK and make it the ruling party in the 2026 Assembly elections.”