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NEW DELHI: The AIADMK, erstwhile the unquestioned rod of Dravidian authorities successful Tamil Nadu, is showing disposable signs of strain aft its disappointing show successful the 2026 assembly elections. Just days aft the enactment was reduced to 47 seats successful the 234-member assembly, interior divisions person burst into the open, exposing disagreements implicit leadership, strategy and adjacent whether the enactment should enactment the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by main curate C Joseph Vijay.The archetypal time of the caller assembly itself reflected the emerging cracks. In a striking departure from long-established AIADMK convention, the party's recently elected MLAs arrived astatine the assembly successful 2 abstracted groups for the oath-taking ceremonial connected Monday.One faction, comprising erstwhile ministers KP Munusamy and Thalavai N Sundaram among others, accompanied AIADMK wide caput Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS).
Another campy led by erstwhile curate SP Velumani arrived separately, accompanied by erstwhile curate Dr C Vijayabaskar, quality bureau PTI reported. Senior person C Ve Shanmugam, who has progressively emerged arsenic a focal constituent of dissent wrong the party, did not get with the EPS campy either.Ordinarily, AIADMK legislators participate the assembly unneurotic arsenic a amusement of unity and organisational subject — a contented cultivated during the eras of MG Ramachandran and aboriginal J Jayalalithaa.
The caller scenes, therefore, were interpreted by galore successful Tamil Nadu’s governmental circles arsenic much than symbolic that indicated that AIADMK was struggling to support interior cohesion aft a bruising electoral setback.The AIADMK contested 167 seats successful the April 23 predetermination but managed to triumph lone 47, slipping further from the ascendant presumption it erstwhile occupied successful authorities politics. AIADMK's ballot stock besides slipped from 33.5% successful 2021 to 21.21 successful 2026 elections.The effect not lone denied the enactment powerfulness but besides outgo it the presumption of main absorption successful the assembly — a humiliation galore wrong the organisation blasted connected the enactment of EPS.In the days pursuing the election, aggregate closed-door meetings were held wrong the party. According to AIADMK sources, those meetings rapidly revealed heavy disagreements implicit the aboriginal people of the party.One conception powerfully opposed immoderate determination to enactment Vijay’s TVK government, arguing that backing a rival determination unit would weaken the AIADMK’s autarkic individuality further.
Another faction, however, favoured extending extracurricular enactment to the TVK, believing that practice with Vijay could assistance the enactment clasp governmental relevance and forestall further erosion of its enactment base.The disagreement has besides sharpened calls for a enactment change.A fewer MLAs reportedly demanded that EPS measurement down arsenic enactment chief, arguing that the AIADMK has suffered repeated electoral setbacks nether his stewardship since the decease of Jayalalithaa.
Several elder leaders, including Velumani and Shanmugam, skipped meetings convened by EPS aft the results, fuelling speculation that an organised rebellion is underway.Former AIADMK person KC Palanisamy openly claimed determination was a "clear split" successful the enactment and urged EPS to "voluntarily measurement down" successful bid to reunite the organisation earlier the adjacent predetermination cycle.The discontent appears to stem not simply from the latest defeat, but from a larger existential anxiousness wrong the AIADMK.
Since Jayalalithaa's decease successful 2016, the enactment has struggled to task a singular commanding fig susceptible of holding unneurotic its almighty determination satraps and caste-based enactment blocs. EPS emerged arsenic the ascendant person aft a prolonged interior conflict involving O Panneerselvam and the Sasikala faction, but critics wrong the enactment accidental helium has failed to revive the AIADMK electorally.The emergence of Vijay's TVK has lone intensified that crisis. For decades, Tamil Nadu authorities revolved astir the DMK-AIADMK binary.
The emergence of TVK arsenic the ruling enactment has disrupted that framework, leaving AIADMK leaders divided implicit whether confrontation oregon accommodation offers a amended way to survival.According to enactment insiders, Shanmugam and Velumani had floated the thought of supporting TVK instantly aft the predetermination verdict. EPS reportedly rejected the connection initially, creating resentment among elder leaders who believed the AIADMK needed to accommodate to the altered governmental scenery quickly.Sources said sections of the rebel campy adjacent explored connection channels with TVK leaders. One AIADMK person claimed that Shanmugam reached retired to TVK wide caput N Anand to convey willingness among immoderate MLAs to backmost Vijay’s government.However, TVK’s effect reportedly analyzable matters further. According to AIADMK sources, Vijay was unwilling to judge specified extracurricular enactment from AIADMK legislators portion they retained their enactment identity.
Instead, helium was said to person insisted that immoderate MLA wanting to enactment TVK should resign and question re-election nether the TVK’s 'whistle' symbol.That connection appears to person alarmed galore AIADMK legislators. While immoderate are reportedly unfastened to tactical practice with TVK, fewer are consenting to resign and hazard by-elections, fearing backlash from their constituencies and uncertainty implicit their governmental future.Even arsenic rumours of rebellion gathered momentum, AIADMK leaders publically attempted harm control.Party MLA Esakki Subaya dismissed reports of a situation and insisted the AIADMK remained agreed and intact. "Everything is going good wrong the party. No 1 tin interruption the party," helium told reporters extracurricular the assembly.He denied claims of wide dissatisfaction and termed reports of a divided arsenic "false news," portion besides brushing speech questions regarding a imaginable enactment change.Yet, governmental observers enactment that specified nationalist assertions are communal successful Tamil Nadu authorities during moments of interior churn.
The much telling developments, they argue, prevarication successful the disposable separation of leaders, parallel meetings and coordinated absenteeism from EPS-led events.Political expert Sathyalaya Ramakrishnan told quality bureau PTI that the concern remained fluid and could inactive beryllium resolved if elder leaders prioritised unity. "I consciousness till present the enactment is agreed since each the AIADMK MLAs were sitting unneurotic successful the assembly.
The elder leaders of the AIADMK indispensable guarantee that determination is nary divided successful the party," helium said.Still, the situation earlier AIADMK is formidable. Beyond contiguous enactment questions, the enactment faces a deeper ideological and structural dilemma: however to redefine itself successful a post-Jayalalithaa epoch wherever a caller governmental unit has captured nationalist imagination.For EPS, the coming weeks whitethorn beryllium decisive. If helium manages to clasp the loyalty of astir MLAs, helium could past this latest bout of dissent. But if much legislators drift towards the Velumani-Shanmugam camp, the AIADMK could witnesser yet different interior rupture since Jayalalithaa’s death.
