DC Edit | Opp. Politics Goes Off The Deep End in TN

Mr K.A. Sengottaiyan, one of the most senior leaders of the AIADMK who has been part of the organisation since it was founded in 1972 by the matinee idol M.G. Ramachandran, gave an ultimatum of 10 days to the present head honcho Edappadi K. Palaniswami to rope in all those who were ousted from the party. His intentions in sending a message of ‘unite all factions or else’ to twist the arm of the leader were not clear, but all it led to was his being stripped of all party posts.

His demand had the support of Ms V.K. Sasikala, one of the most unpopular leaders who has been axed, but that did not go well with most of those who may have voted for the party. Many leaders, including Ms Sasikala and Mr O. Panneerselvam, the former chief minister who had ransacked the party headquarters just to prove that he too had several hooligans under his control, have been touting this unity plan as a recipe for electoral victory, but the idea had hardly gained currency among the people and party workers.

Also, Ms Sasikala’s reputation has already hit the rock bottom and so it was preposterous that anyone could believe her entry into the party would boost its image or improve its prospects in the elections. Even if a small section of leaders and functionaries had been supporting her and her relatives coming back into the party, Mr Palaniswami had his own share of support after he had put his foot down in opposing Ms Sasikala’s re-entry. Since Mr Palaniswami had already been endorsed by party leaders and functionaries as the one capable of leading the party to victory, even those who did not like the party aligning with the BJP did not raise a storm when the alliance took place.

With a perception that the DMK government had earned the wrath of many sections of people, the latest being the conservancy workers and those supporting their right to protest gaining ground, it was felt that a united opposition could defeat the ruling dispensation if it managed to keep its allies together. The opposition to the AIADMK rejoining the BJP once again was played down with many wishing that the 2026 Assembly elections should not be a cakewalk for the DMK coalition. Now, that wish is losing ground as the Sengottaiyan rebellion has exposed cracks in the prime opposition party.

Coupled with that, the refusal of the nascent Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) of actor Vijay to go in for an alliance with the AIADMK only strengthened the DMK’s hope of having an extended run in Fort St George with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the helm. At another level, the disgracing of 87-year-old S. Ramadoss, founder of Pattali Makkal Katchi, who held sway over voters of his community in the northern districts, by exposing his past exploits also weakened the anti-incumbency narrative. The latest political developments just suggest that the DMK can regain power if it keeps its pole position intact.