Rebellion brewing in AIADMK against Palaniswami: Here is party's long history of splits, mergers

Trouble has been brewing in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) following the drubbing the party suffered in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, where it was reduced to the third spot.

Senior leaders and former Ministers have been blaming Edappadi K Palaniswami for the repeated electoral defeats the party has faced since he took over as party general secretary.

A faction led by C V Shanmugam and S P Velumani is trying to sideline Palaniswami, backed by "a majority of the MLAs", and has declared support the TVK government led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.

The faction has accused Palaniswami of "betraying the core ideology" of the party. Shanmugam on Tuesday said they were shocked to hear Palaniswami tell the legislature party meeting that he would be the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu with the support of the party's arch-rival DMK. He was referring to reported back-channel talks between a section of the AIADMK and the DMK to form a government in Tamil Nadu after the Assembly election threw up a fractured mandate. While the DMK won 59 seats, the AIADMK won 47 seats. With 108 seats, TVK emerged as the single-largest party.

Though Velumani, who has been elected as legislature party leader, has said their decision is aimed at "avoiding another split in the AIADMK" and to prevent the party from becoming entirely irrelevant, factionalism, rebellions and splits are nothing new to the Dravidian political party.

Since its inception in 1972, the AIADMK has repeatedly split into rival factions upon the death or decline of its dominant leader, only to eventually reunite under a new leadership, until there is vacuum triggered by a fresh crisis.

Party's inception from a split

The AIADMK was born from a split within the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1972. Actor-politician M G Ramachandran (MGR), then the DMK treasurer, was expelled for questioning party accounts and alleging corruption. Personal rivalry between MGR and DMK leader M Karunanidhi was said to be the reason for the crisis. Following this, MGR formed Anna DMK and later renamed it AIADMK. The party leveraged on the massive fan base of MGR and swept the 1977 elections.

First major succession battle

MGR’s death in December 1987 triggered the first major succession battle in the party, between his widow, Janaki Ramachandran, and his political protégé and actor Jayalalithaa.

Janaki served as Chief Minister for 23 days before the State Assembly was dissolved and President's Rule was imposed on January 30, 1988. Jayalalithaa, meanwhile, claimed the political legacy of MGR.

As dispute continued between the two factions, the Election Commission froze the 'Two Leaves' symbol. In the Assembly elections that followed in 1989, both factions suffered heavy losses and the DMK returned to power. Following this, Janaki retired from politics, and in February 1989, the factions merged under Jayalalithaa, who regained the symbol.

Three-way power struggle post Jayalalithaa’s death

Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016 triggered a multi-year, three-way power struggle involving her aide, a chosen successor, and a party veteran.

Following Jayalalithaa's death, O Panneerselvam was appointed Chief Minister on December 6. On December 29, AIADMK general council appointed V K Sasikala, Jayalalithaa’s close aide, as the party's temporary general secretary until a formal election was held for the post.

On February 5, 2017, Sasikala was unanimously elected as AIADMK legislature party leader, paving the way for her to become the Chief Minister. The Tamil Nadu Governor accepted the resignation of Panneerselvam the next day, and instructed him to continue functioning as acting Chief Minister "until alternate arrangements are made". On February 7, after Panneerselvam said he was compelled to resign, Sasikala called him a “traitor” and expelled him from the post of party treasurer.

Days later, however, Sasikala was convicted and sentenced to jail in a disproportionate assets case. Before surrendering, she convened a meeting of party MLAs, who named Palaniswami as their leader, paving the way for him to become the Chief Minister. She also appointed her nephew T T V Dhinakaran as party's deputy general secretary.

Panneerselvam revolted against this faction of the party.

The Election Commission froze the AIADMK’s 'Two Leaves' symbol, prohibiting its use in the byelection to the seat held by Jayalalithaa. Panneerselvam camp was given the name AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) name and the ruling faction got the name AIADMK (Amma).

A few months later, however, Panneerselvam and Palaniswami factions merged in August 2017, sidelining Sasikala and Dhinakaran. Panneerselvam became Deputy Chief Minister and Palaniswami continued as Chief Minister.

Subsequently, both Sasikala and Dhinakaran were expelled from the party.

Fight for one-upmanship

Following the AIADMK's loss in the the 2021 Assembly elections, Palaniswami emerged as a stronger leader in the party. He abolished the dual leadership system in the party and was elected general secretary, leading to Panneerselvam's expulsion for "anti-party" activities. In February 2026, months before the Assembly elections, Panneerselvam resigned as MLA and joined the DMK.

The AIADMK is now again experiencing a severe internal rift after its poor performance in the Assembly elections, effectively splitting the party into two factions.