Overview

• Sengottaiyan had publicly urged Edappadi K. Palaniswami to readmit estranged and expelled figures within ten days, warning that he and like-minded leaders would move to unite the party if the leadership did not act.
• Within a day of the ultimatum, the party relieved him of his roles as organisational secretary and Erode Suburban (West) district secretary, and several of his loyalists were also stripped of responsibilities.
• Palaniswami cancelled a scheduled interaction with farmers in Theni and consulted senior leaders as the dispute escalated, according to party functionaries.
• Expelled leaders V. K. Sasikala and O. Panneerselvam publicly welcomed Sengottaiyan’s call for unity, and he insisted any re-entry would come without preconditions while leaving final decisions to the general secretary.
• Sengottaiyan framed reunification as essential after repeated electoral losses since 2019, while the disciplinary action highlights intensifying factional strains that could influence AIADMK’s alliance positioning before 2026.