On October 15, two days before the AIADMK’s 53rd founding day, party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami issued a statement to his cadre, expressing his willingness to make “sacrifices for victory”. On October 17, when he walked into the party office at Lloyds Road in Chennai, he had another strong message for his followers. The party, he said, had grown stronger and fared better than its rival, the DMK. But those who have watched him and the party closely know that his fight is more with his former colleagues whom he had expelled from the AIADMK than with the DMK or its president, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. And, that was evident when he said, “Those who have been expelled from the party will remain expelled. They will not be taken back into the party.”
In the past, AIADMK cadre and supporters have rallied around one powerful leader, beginning with founder M.G. Ramachandran and then J. Jayalalithaa. Palaniswami, however, is struggling to establish his hold over the party. When MGR floated the AIADMK in 1972, the party had no official ideology. But MGR firmly believed in the ideals of Periyar and C.N. Annadurai and that slant showed in the party. Under Palaniswami, though, the party has slowly walked away from those ideals. Once a key regional and national player, it forfeited deposits in seven Lok Sabha constituencies for the first time in the 2024 elections. In many constituencies, it came third, losing out not just to the DMK but also to the BJP-led NDA. The DMK, which fielded its candidates in 22 Lok Sabha seats, polled 47 per cent of the total votes, whereas the AIADMK got only 22.6 per cent in the 34 seats it contested. Even in the western region where the party is considered to be strong, it lost badly. It lost a chunk of its vote share in south Tamil Nadu, too. A majority of the OBC Thevar vote bank, which was always with the AIADMK, saw a shift since Palaniswami took over.
After the Lok Sabha defeat, senior leaders like S.P. Velumani, C. Ve. Shanmugam, Natham R. Viswanathan, K.A. Sengottaiyan and two others reportedly called on Palaniswami at his residence in Salem, asking him to bring back Panneerselvam, T.T.V. Dhinakaran and V.K. Sasikala into the party to regain its old strength. But Palaniswami refused. After the founding day celebrations, the senior leaders had a closed-door meeting in Chennai to discuss the next step to reunite the party.
During the founding day celebrations, Velumani, who commands a strong Gounder vote base in west Tamil Nadu, arrived 30 minutes before Palaniswami and was seen arguing with senior leader K.P. Munusamy. Others like P. Thangamani and K.T. Rajenthra Bhalaji skipped the event. “We have been asking him to come to Chennai and play the role of a critical opposition,” said a senior party leader. “He doesn’t stay in Chennai and often goes to Salem. The rank and file of the party is not happy under him.” The major reason for the displeasure within the party is Palaniswami’s “adamant nature”, said the leader, along with his insecurity and desire to cling to power.
Even during the Lok Sabha polls, Palaniswami fielded candidates who did not have the support of local leaders. The AIADMK is structured in a way that its leadership derives its strength from the unions, which were built on MGR’s strong fan base. When Jayalalithaa took over, she, too, drew her strength from the unions more than the district secretaries. But after Palaniswami took over, the district secretaries grew powerful as he bifurcated existing districts, taking the total number of districts to 82. But it did little to help him as most of the district secretaries were not willing to work.
Poll partners: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami with DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The DMDK does not add much heft to the alliance, as it has votes only in a few pockets | PTI
“Even after losing power, Palaniswami has not realised his mistakes,” Dhinakaran told THE WEEK. “He is not willing to accept that it was because of his mistakes that the party lost its strength. Those who accepted Palaniswami’s leadership and continued in the party have realised that the party that was built and protected by Amma is getting destroyed. There is information that they are trying to tame Palaniswami to save the party.”
Palaniswami denied the claim that senior party leaders had talked to him about getting expelled leaders back. He even asked the media to check with Velumani, who was standing next to him, if any such meeting happened. Velumani just smiled and walked away.
While party seniors are disturbed because of Palaniswami’s moves, which, they say, lack strategy, the recent Income Tax raids on his confidant R. Elangovan, popularly known as Salem Elangovan, has come as a huge shocker to Palaniswami. Elangovan had been managing his financial deals besides playing a role in determining the political path of the AIADMK during crucial elections. During demonetisation, he was heading a cooperative bank, which came under the IT scanner for exchanging demonetised currency. Despite that, no action was taken against him, not even when the AIADMK walked out of the BJP-led alliance. But the recent searches have put the party and Palaniswami under Delhi’s scanner.
Palaniswami, of late, has been saying that his party will forge a mega alliance in the 2026 assembly elections and come back to power. He expects Thol Thirumavalavan’s Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the two communist parties to soon leave the DMK alliance and join hands with the AIADMK. He had even sent feelers to them, and also to actor Vijay and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam before his first conference at Vikravandi. It is said that he was ready to offer 80 seats and the post of deputy chief minister to Vijay. At his maiden rally, Vijay had declared BJP as his party’s ideological enemy and DMK as its electoral enemy. He, however, spared the AIADMK any criticism. Having said that, Vijay’s political entry is likely to upset the eroding AIADMK vote bank. The anti-DMK votes have always benefited the AIADMK. But now Vijay’s anti-DMK plank is all set to upset the AIADMK vote bank. “Anyone can come into politics. Vijay is opposing the BJP and the DMK. But the AIADMK’s vote bank is intact. He will not cut into the AIADMK votes. We have never watered down our ideology,” said AIADMK spokesperson and former minister D. Jayakumar.
However, Palaniswami’s hope of forging a formidable alliance hangs in balance. While he is firm on not allying with the BJP, there is little chance of the PMK leaving the BJP alliance to be part of the AIADMK alliance. Also, Vijayakanth’s DMDK, which is already with the AIADMK, may not add much heft to the alliance as it has votes only in a few pockets.
Palaniswami may have defeated his foes within the party, but the party seems distraught and directionless with him as its head. “Palaniswami wants the party to grow based on his personality. He does not have mass appeal and is not a crowd puller,” said Selva Muthukumar, a staunch Jayalalithaa loyalist from Kariyapatti near Madurai. “He lacks charisma. He is no Amma or MGR. His style of politics and reinforced leadership may look attractive now. But it will not help us win an election.” Muthukumar has decided to join the Tamiliga Vettri Kazhagam.
People like him believe that Palaniswami, even though he talks about “sacrifice”, is not willing to compromise for the sake of the party.