Overview
- AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami on October 31 removed K. A. Sengottaiyan from the party’s primary membership and instructed cadres to avoid contact, citing violations of party discipline.
- The action followed Sengottaiyan’s October 30 appearance in Pasumpon with expelled leaders O. Panneerselvam and T. T. V. Dhinakaran and his meeting with V. K. Sasikala, where they pledged a unity push invoking the MGR–Jayalalithaa legacy for 2026.
- Palaniswami denounced the trio as the DMK’s “B-team” and blamed such “betrayers” for the AIADMK’s 2021 loss, while Panneerselvam disputed reports he said the DMK would win in 2026 and clarified his remarks.
- Sengottaiyan had been stripped of party posts in September after urging reconciliation and setting a 10‑day deadline for reunification, a move that had already exposed rifts over leadership and strategy.
- The Pasumpon show of unity highlighted Thevar‑region political dynamics reported as significant for the 2026 race, and Sengottaiyan said he would outline his next steps at a November 1 press conference.