Ex-CM Jayalalithaa’s former aide Sasikala calls for AIADMK merger before 2026 poll

AIADMK faction leaders raised the pitch for a merger on former Chief Minister C N Annadurai's birth anniversary on Monday, while its general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami took pride in the AIADMK for carrying Annadurai's legacy for 53 years ''not only in name, but also in policy, action, and political principle.'' Ousted former AIADMK interim general secretary V K Sasikala appealed for a unification of AIADMK factions before next year's Assembly election.

Utilising the occasion, she said the party workers desired to see a united AIADMK and reiterated that electoral prospects of the party hinged upon its merger.

''Everyone in the AIADMK wants the various factions to unite before the 2026 Assembly elections. I also want it,'' the former close aide of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, told reporters at her Poes Garden residence here.

To a question, she replied that unification should happen before the poll and not after it.

Asked about the possibilities, Sasikala said, ''It is very easy to reject. But accepting one into the fold is a very difficult task. This takes time.'' The goal of the AIADMK was to end the DMK rule and re-establish the rule of ''Amma'' (Jayalalithaa), she said and added, ''my work will be oriented towards the merger and party's victory.'' ''Let what occurred (in the past) be considered as happened. Let what unfolds from now on be on a good note,'' Sasikala stressed and recalled that the party's flag carried the image of Anna.

Expressing in a similar vein, AIADMK senior leader K A Sengottaiyan, whose ten-day deadline for party general secretary Palaniswami, ended today, said after paying floral tributes to Annadurai, ''Today I am reminded of Anna's golden saying: 'Let us forget and forgive.' That is the way we should act.'' ''I have put forth my view on September 5 that AIADMK should be unified in order to become stronger,'' Sengottaiyan told reporters in Erode and added that his view on party unity was well received by the party men.

The Gobichettipalayam MLA said that he had openly spoken about the need to realise the dream of party leaders: MGR and Jayalalithaa. ''Keeping this in mind, the AIADMK leadership should unite to gain strength and win in 2026,'' he added.

Meanwhile, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary T T V Dhinakaran, who was also expelled from the AIADMK, ruled out the scope of accepting Palaniswami as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2026 poll. Earlier, he paid homage to Annadurai's statue in Thanjavur.

Dhinakaran had recently parted ways with the BJP, which has been projecting Palaniswami as the Chief Ministerial candidate.

BJP state chief Nainar Nagendran had expressed his willingness to negotiate with former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Dhinakaran and bring them back to the NDA alliance.

Panneerselvam, who was another leader expelled from the AIADMK, after he and Palaniswami ousted Sasikala and her nephew Dhinakaran, claimed that the party cadres wanted the AIADMK to remain united.

After paying homage to the Anna statue in Chennai, Panneerselvam said, ''Only if the AIADMK unites, the purpose of M G Ramachandran, who started the party, will be fulfilled. We should respect the feelings of the party workers and the people of Tamil Nadu.'' Asked if he would return to the NDA alliance, he replied, ''There are no permanent enemies or friends in politics. Anything can happen. Wait and see.'' Palaniswami said Anna was synonymous with Tamil Nadu. ''Not only in name, but also in policy, action, and political principle, @AIADMKOfficial has proudly carried Anna (legacy) for 53 years,'' he said in a post on 'X'.

''Today, on the birthday of the great Anna, the unparalleled leader of Dravidian politics, who has elevated ordinary people like us, let us resolve to rescue Tamil Nadu from the grip of family rule and establish a government that values #Annaism for the common people under the leadership of #AIADMK. Let us protect the people and rescue Tamil Nadu. Long live Anna. #CNAisOurDNA,'' Palaniswami said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)