Published May 11, 2026 | 9:35 PM ⚊ Updated May 11, 2026 | 10:20 PM
The Shanmugam-Velumani camp believes that remaining out of power for another five years would severely damage its political and business interests.
Synopsis: The AIADMK’s internal rift has now burst into the open, with a rebel group of MLAs seeking to sideline General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. The party’s repeated electoral defeats under EPS, along with the rebel faction’s desire to regain political relevance by backing the TVK government, are said to be among the main reasons behind the split. Insiders and political observers say the BJP could benefit from a weakened AIADMK, though they do not expect the TVK to agree to any power-sharing arrangement beyond accepting outside support.
The internal rift within the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has now spilled into the open, with the party effectively split into two factions.
While 17 MLAs submitted a letter in the Assembly on the morning of Sunday, 11 May, seeking the appointment of Edappadi K Palaniswami as Leader of the AIADMK Legislature Party, another faction led by CV Shanmugam submitted a separate letter in the evening demanding that SP Velumani be recognised as Leader of the Legislature Party.
Amid the fast-moving developments, a section within the AIADMK is now said to be preparing to sideline Palaniswami and function with CV Shanmugam as the party’s general secretary and SP Velumani as Leader of the Legislature Party.
According to sources linked to the party’s power centres, discussions began as early as 4 May, immediately after the election results were declared. Leaders close to Edappadi Palaniswami reportedly held talks with the DMK leadership over the possibility of a DMK-AIADMK understanding to form the government.
But resistance surfaced within the party from the outset.
Several senior AIADMK leaders were already unhappy with Palaniswami’s leadership, particularly after the party suffered repeated electoral defeats under him as general secretary. Against that backdrop, his proposal for a possible DMK-AIADMK arrangement reportedly did not sit well with the faction led by CV Shanmugam.
Instead, leaders including CV Shanmugam and SP Velumani are said to have separately discussed extending support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government.
As part of efforts to contain the crisis, Palaniswami booked a private resort in Puducherry and moved AIADMK MLAs there in an attempt to persuade them. But the move failed to bring the rival camp on board.
Even during the meeting of party MLAs held on 9 May at Palaniswami’s residence on Greenways Road in Chennai, no final decision was reached. Sources claim that Palaniswami eventually told the Shanmugam faction to “do as you wish”.
Tensions escalated further during another round of talks on the night of 10 May, which reportedly ended on a bitter note after heated arguments.
Following that meeting, a group of 30 MLAs submitted a letter seeking the appointment of SP Velumani as leader of the legislature party.
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According to highly placed sources, the Shanmugam-Velumani camp believes that remaining out of power for another five years would severely damage its political and business interests.
“They have already spent five years without power. If that situation continues, everything will collapse for them. Their current move is driven by the need for political power. Even if the BJP is not fully behind this effort, the party sees this as one route to keep the TVK government under control,” a source said.
Sources also claimed that talks are currently taking place only between Aadhav Arjuna and the AIADMK faction, and that no concrete agreement has been reached so far.
Senior journalist Nakkheeran Prakash said the entire development was part of the BJP’s broader political strategy.
“This is completely the BJP’s play. Just as Congress has managed to gain influence over the TVK, the BJP is trying to control the party through the AIADMK route. However, the chances of the TVK agreeing to such an arrangement are low. Moreover, there has not yet been any major progress in these negotiations,” he said.
Sources said that if the AIADMK succeeds in its negotiations with the TVK, the BJP could use the opportunity to bring the TVK under its influence. But even if the talks fail, the BJP would still benefit from the weakening and split of a major opposition party such as the AIADMK. Either way, the BJP is seen as emerging stronger from the current political churn.
For now, according to Nakkheeran Prakash, the TVK is likely to accept outside support from the AIADMK if required, but is unlikely to give the party a role in the Cabinet. Instead, it may keep the support as a political fallback option.
