Chennai: The internal rebellion within the AIADMK appears to be gathering pace, with a powerful dissident faction led by senior leaders C.V. Shanmugam and S.P. Velumani intensifying efforts to challenge the leadership of party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS).
The rebels are now exploring provisions in the AIADMK party bylaws to force a major organisational showdown in the coming weeks.
According to senior party sources, the dissident camp is considering invoking a provision in the AIADMK constitution that mandates the general secretary to convene a special general council meeting within 30 days if at least one-fifth of the council members submit a formal request.
Leaders aligned with the rebel faction have reportedly begun collecting signatures from general council members across Tamil Nadu to initiate the process.
Operating from the office of former minister Shanmugam in Chennai’s MRC Nagar, the dissident leaders have stepped up consultations and strategy meetings aimed at unseating Palaniswami from the top post.
The rebels accuse EPS of taking “unilateral decisions” that allegedly weakened the party and contributed to its disastrous performance in the recent Assembly election.
The AIADMK suffered one of the worst defeats in its history in the 2026 polls, winning only 47 seats and slipping to the third position in the Assembly.
The setback also resulted in the party losing the Leader of the Opposition status for the first time in decades.
Several leaders within the party have privately described the result as the AIADMK’s worst electoral performance since 1996.
Leaders backing the rebellion argue that Tamil Nadu politics is witnessing a generational shift, with younger leaders such as Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, Udhayanidhi Stalin, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss, BJP state president K Annamalai and Naam Tamilar Katchi chief Seeman emerging as dominant political forces.
They believe the AIADMK, too, requires a leadership transition to remain politically relevant.
The rebels are also reportedly unhappy that Palaniswami refused to step aside from his chief ministerial ambitions earlier, when talks were said to be underway regarding projecting VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan as a possible consensus chief ministerial candidate with outside backing from the DMK.
Meanwhile, the crisis within the party has taken a new political dimension, with some rebel MLAs expected to join Chief Minister Vijay’s Cabinet next week. This comes even as a petition filed by EPS seeking their disqualification under the anti-defection law remains pending before Assembly Speaker J.C.D Prabhakar.
A rebel leader defended the camp’s decision to support the TVK government during the recent trust vote, saying remaining in the Opposition for another five years would not benefit either the public nor the party.
(IANS)
