Ahead of 2026 polls, storm brews in Tamil Nadu's opposition party AIADMK

With barely six months to go for the Assembly elections in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a storm is brewing within the principal opposition party AIADMK. On Friday (September 5), senior AIADMK leader and former ministerSengottaiyan publicly expressed the urgent need for the party to re-induct its leaders who were expelled in recent years, in order to improve the party's prospects in the 2026 summer polls. He has also set a 10-day deadline for the re-induction of ousted leaders. The AIADMK, once a formidable political force in the state, has been facing a leadership crisis since the demise of then chief minister and party supremo J Jayalalithaa, in 2016.

Recalling the party's legacy and its winning spree under founder MGR and later under MGR's political successor J Jayalalithaa, Sengottaiyan emphasised that such a political movement must not get disintegrated. He also candidly admitted that the party is presently in a weak condition and that there is an urgent need to re-admit ousted leaders. Though he has not specified who the ousted leaders are, it is widely regarded that he is referring to VK Sasikala, a close aide of J Jayalalithaa, and O Panneerselvam, a former chief minister and senior AIADMK leader.

Elaborating on the internal discussions that took place within their party, Sengottaiyan said that he and a handful of senior leaders had approached party general secretary and Opposition leader Edappadi Palaniswami, with their request to re-unite the party by welcoming ousted leaders. Further, he stated that Palaniswami was not willing to accept it.

"Palaniswami can decide whom to reunite... those who have been ousted from AIADMK were in important posts... I feel that they should be reunited...Only then can we accomplish a victory.. Party will be strong only when everyone comes together.. This should be done urgently...," Sengottaiyan said. He also made it clear that if this did not happen within a 10-day deadline, there are like-minded people who are willing to do so for the party. Citing precedent, he touched upon the need to "forgive and forget" in the interest of the party. Both ousted AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam and VK Sasikala came out in support of veteran leader Sengottaiyan and his bid to reunite the party.

AIADMK-BJP alliance for 2026 Tamil Nadu polls

In April this year, the AIADMK and BJP announced their pre-poll alliance for the 2026 Assembly polls. After having fought and losing the 2021 Tamil Nadu assembly polls under the NDA alliance, both AIADMK and BJP went their separate ways and fought the 2024 Parliamentary polls alone. In 2021, the DMK under MK Stalin came to power, defeating incumbent AIADMK. Bettering the 2021 state poll performance, DMK and its allies swept all seats in Tamil Nadu in the 2024 Parliamentary polls. The then estranged allies AIADMK and BJP have now joined hands to take on the incumbent DMK-led combine.

With six months to got for the polls, differences emerging from within the AIADMK top brass is not an encouraging sign for the state opposition party and the overall NDA alliance. Further, smaller parties such as TTV Dinakaran's AMMK have announced their decision to quit the NDA. Earlier, O Panneerselvam too announced his decision to move out of the NDA. PMK, a former ally of the NDA now faces an internal leadership struggle between the father-son duo that are the prominent faces of the party. DMDK, a former NDA ally and the party of Late actor-politician Vijayakant is now signalling its intentions to join the DMK-led front.