Senior All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leaders S.P. Velumani and Natham R. Viswanathan on 9 August publicly called on party General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami to bring expelled leaders V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran back into the party, while mounting a sweeping challenge to his leadership over a string of electoral and alliance failures. The joint statement marks one of the most direct public confrontations with Palaniswami from within the AIADMK's own senior ranks.

The Core Allegations

Velumani and Viswanathan alleged that Palaniswami's unilateral decision-making had driven the AIADMK into successive electoral setbacks, breeding deep disillusionment among party functionaries and grassroots cadres. They accused him of squandering an opportunity to forge an alliance with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) ahead of the 2026 Assembly election. The two leaders further alleged that after the election, Palaniswami attempted to negotiate with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) over government formation without adequately consulting senior colleagues — a charge that, if accurate, would represent a significant breach of internal party protocol.

A Pattern of Missed Alliances

The statement traces what the two leaders describe as a damaging pattern of rejected alliances stretching back to 2021. They alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had held discussions in Chennai ahead of the 2021 Assembly election to facilitate an alliance involving Dhinakaran. Ousted party leader O. Panneerselvam was reportedly agreeable to the proposal, but Palaniswami rejected it — a decision Velumani and Viswanathan claim cost the AIADMK seats in several constituencies.

They also alleged that ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, overtures from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership to revive the alliance were turned down without adequate deliberation. The consequence, they argued, was that the DMK-Indian National Congress (Congress) alliance swept all 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Delays in finalising an understanding with the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) further cost the party a potential ally, they added.

Internal Fractures and the MLA Divide

Velumani and Viswanathan disclosed that the AIADMK's post-election strategic disagreements had produced serious internal fractures, with 25 of the party's 47 MLAs reportedly opposing moves they believed contradicted the political legacy of party founders M.G. Ramachandran and former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. The disclosure of a near-majority bloc of dissenting legislators signals that the challenge to Palaniswami's authority extends well beyond two senior voices.

The Call for Reconciliation

Calling for urgent corrective action, the two leaders demanded that the AIADMK open formal discussions to reunite estranged leaders — explicitly naming Sasikala and Dhinakaran — and rebuild the organisation through reconciliation. They argued that despite Palaniswami's repeated pledges to construct a broad coalition ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, the same strategic errors were allowed to recur. The statement effectively frames reunification with Sasikala and Dhinakaran not as a factional demand but as an organisational necessity.

What Comes Next

The public nature of the challenge — a joint statement from two former ministers — raises the political cost of inaction for Palaniswami. With the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election approaching, the AIADMK faces pressure to consolidate its fractured opposition space before the DMK government completes its term. Whether Palaniswami responds with disciplinary action, dialogue, or silence will likely define the party's trajectory in the months ahead.