At 53, AIADMK is fighting hard to reinvent itself; will EPS be able to do the magic?

CHENNAI: On the occasion of the party stepping into its 53rd year, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami appealed to the cadre to work tirelessly to register a massive victory in the upcoming assembly polls. But what’s missing is the spark and an inspiring leadership to win the trust of the cadre and public.

Split, factionalism and infights were not new to the party even when towering leaders MGR and Jayalalithaa were at the helm. But there was no dearth of popularity and support among the masses. It never hurt the party in electoral politics unlike the present one over leaders and it continues to haunt the party on many fronts.

Palaniswami, on his part, drafted a five-page letter to the cadre ahead of the party's 53rd foundation day to give a brief account of the party's struggles for half a century of its existence and announced that he was ready for any ‘sacrifice’ to re-establish the AIADMK regime. Meanwhile, he justified the expulsion of former coordinator O Panneerselvam and former general secretary of the party VK Sasikala terming them ‘weeds’ that were removed to safeguard healthy crops.

Sticking to his firm stand, a visually upset Palaniswami over the repeated questions on ‘reunion,’ told media persons on Thursday to "stop using the word separated (factions)," asserting that they were expelled from the party.

"Those who were removed from the party are not with us anymore. We are the AIADMK, and it is intact," he said and pointed to party heavyweights SP Velumani, KP Munusamy, Natham R Viswanathan Dindigul C Sreenivasan, and several other senior leaders standing next to him.

A rumor was also doing the rounds a couple of months ago that six member AIADMK leaders (headed by SP Velumani) called on him regarding the reunion of the party, he said, adding, "It was an utter lie." However, the question on ‘reunion’ refuses to die down.

"Many wish that EPS should be accommodative to reinforce the party in southern districts. Not a single meeting goes without discussing the pros and cons of taking back expelled leaders from the Thevar belt. Some of the senior functionaries in the western region and northern districts are also feeling the same. But EPS is strictly against it," a former minister said. He also noted that Palaniswami's recent remark that the party's vote share had declined by 10% has further weakened their position.

Several of the former ministers and sitting MLAs fear that they stand no chance to return to the TN assembly after the 2026 polls if the party leadership doesn’t take course correction and ends their differences with OPS and Sasikala.

"We are unable to form an alliance for the LS polls, and we fear the same will repeat in 2026 if this trend continues," said a sitting MLA in the western region. Palaniswami's recent move against senior leader and Kanniyakumari MLA Thalavai N Sundaram also did not go down well with party leaders.

"He (Thalavai Sundaram) needs the support of anti-DMK forces to win elections. So, he is doing politics that suits his prospects and participated in RSS functions. He was not even concerned about the disciplinary action. This shows the leadership weak," said a party insider familiar with the development.

A supporter of OPS also echoed the same and noted that if the war of words between the EPS and other factions continues, the people will lose faith in the party.