A group of AIADMK figures identified as dissidents gathered in Chennai on Monday for private discussions, convening in the wake of the party's defeats in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram bypoll contests.
Members at odds with general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami have announced plans to stay away from the party's 55th foundation day programme and related public events scheduled for October 17, 22, and 23, framing the withdrawal as pressure on Palaniswami to convene a general council meeting.
Four former ministers — S P Velumani, C Ve Shanmugam, P Thangamani, and Natham Viswanathan — had been holding internal consultations over recent days to determine what steps to take next, party insiders indicated. The Monday gathering was held at Velumani's MRC Nagar home in Chennai, with K P Anbazhagan, who previously held the higher education portfolio, among those present.
Those within the opposition group confirmed that the gathering had taken place, though no details about forthcoming plans were shared. According to a party functionary aligned with the dissident faction, a group of leaders within the AIADMK is working to consolidate support among estranged legislators and senior office-bearers as part of an effort to mount a challenge against Palaniswami's hold on the party, with the organisation's repeated losses at the ballot box cited as the basis for their push.
Anbazhagan characterised the encounter as a passing exchange, noting that roughly six weeks had passed without any contact with Velumani since the assembly session concluded. He said his purpose in going there had been to visit Velumani's residence. He did not provide a clear answer on whether he would attend the AIADMK gathering in Dharmapuri district, scheduled as part of the party's foundation day programme. Anbazhagan outlined plans to offer floral tributes to statues of party founder M G Ramachandran and former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, both located at the Palacode bus stand.
Within the party, a group of members has been pushing Palaniswami to convene a general council meeting at which the AIADMK's run of poor results at the polls could be formally reviewed. Following a weak performance in the assembly elections, 25 legislators who had broken ranks cast their votes in favour of TVK during the confidence motion held in the state assembly in May, with their strained relationship with Palaniswami remaining visible throughout the proceedings as they showed little engagement with him on the floor.
During the bypoll campaigns, neither Velumani nor Shanmugam took any active part in the ground-level work. While Palaniswami directed pointed remarks at Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over what he described as an attempt to appropriate credit for the Vadapalani–Poonamallee metro rail project, Velumani separately extended his appreciation to the chief minister for presiding over the project's inauguration.
Defeats in both Dharapuram and Madurantakam — constituencies the AIADMK had won in the April 2026 assembly elections — have drawn fresh questions about the direction Palaniswami is steering the party, with the organisation finishing third in each contest. A functionary aligned with the Palaniswami faction expressed confidence that pressure tactics from the opposing group would fall short, noting that district secretaries and senior party office-holders across the board owe their appointments to Palaniswami. The functionary expressed confidence that supporters would remain behind him.
