Nine AIADMK Leaders Rebel Against Palaniswami

A recent AIADMK Women's Wing consultative meeting, chaired by General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, was notably missed by S.P. Velumani and Natham Viswanathan. Reports suggest Velumani's faction is dissatisfied over not being allocated District Secretary posts. They have formally written to K. Palaniswami, rejecting the newly assigned party positions. The letter, signed by S.P. Velumani and eight other administrators, sharply criticized Palaniswami's leadership. It alleged that his 'wrong decisions' led to continuous defeats for AIADMK in the 2021, 2024, and 2026 elections. The signatories also claimed that the party, nurtured by MGR and Jayalalithaa, is eroding due to Palaniswami's flawed decisions. This dissent follows a period of internal strife within the party. After the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results, a faction of AIADMK led by C.V. Shanmugam and S.P. Velumani had adopted a pro-Thaveka (DMK) stance, operating almost as a separate entity in the Assembly and voting in favor of the Thaveka government. In response, Edappadi K. Palaniswami stripped C.V. Shanmugam, S.P. Velumani, and their supporters of their party responsibilities, appointing his loyalists instead. Those who had anticipated ministerial berths in the Thaveka cabinet eventually returned to Palaniswami's fold after their expectations were not met. While Palaniswami accepted them back, he initially refrained from restoring their previous posts. Approximately a month later, S.P. Velumani and Natham Viswanathan were appointed AIADMK Deputy General Secretaries, and Thangamani, Karuppanan, K.P. Anbalagan, Kamaraj, and Balakrishna Reddy were made Organization Secretaries. However, information indicated their dissatisfaction with these new roles. This latest rebellion further intensifies existing turmoil within the party. Earlier, C. Vijayabaskar and M.R. Vijayabaskar reportedly expressed intentions to leave AIADMK and join Thaveka. Additionally, former minister M.S.M. Anandhan has announced his departure from AIADMK. Responding to these developments, Edappadi K. Palaniswami stated, "Cadres are happy as traitors are leaving."