Chennai: Former AIADMK minister and veteran leader K.A. Sengottaiyan is likely to join actor-turned politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) as its general secretary, ThePrint has learnt from sources in the TVK as well as those close to the leader.
According to senior functionaries, Sengottaiyan will formally join the party on 27 November in the presence of Vijay. One of the most experienced administrators in the AIADMK, the 76-year-old leader is also expected to resign his MLA post before the switch.
“He is leaving for Chennai this evening and will tender his resignation tomorrow. The induction will take place the day after,” a source close to Sengottaiyan told ThePrint.
Sengottaiyan, a seven-time MLA from Gobichettipalayam and a former school education minister, was regarded as one of the organisational pillars of the AIADMK.
On 5 September, Sengottaiyan gave a 10-day deadline to party’s general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami to reunite all breakaway leaders, including TTV Dhinakaran and O. Panneerselvam, with the party.
However, on 6 September, he was divested of all party positions. Subsequently, on 30 October, Sengottaiyan shared the stage with breakaway leaders TTV Dhinakaran, O. Panneerselvam and V.K. Sasikala at the Thevar Jayanthi event in Mudukulathur in Ramanathapuram district.
The next day, Palaniswami revoked his primary membership of the party.
Crucial 2026 polls
Sengottaiyan’s move to TVK comes at a time when Vijay is seeking to build an experienced leadership structure ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Sengottaiyan was AIADMK’s Erode district secretary since the days of MGR. He first entered the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 1977 from Erode’s Sathyamangalam constituency and was known as a loyal MGR man.
After MGR’s death, J. Jayalalithaa relied on three leaders and Sengottaiyan was one of them. When the former chief minister began her first statewide tour in 1989 after MGR’s demise, Sengottaiyan (then her election strategist) was mapping the routes and overseeing the logistics.
Political analyst Durai Karuna said his expertise in campaign tour planning would help the TVK, which is struggling to map its tour across the state. A stampede at a party rally in Karur on 27 September left 41 dead.
TVK insiders believe that Sengottaiyan’s entry will lend the party administrative sharpness and political credibility. “Vijay sir wants seasoned leaders who know how to run a party. Sengottaiyan’s guidance will be crucial,” a TVK functionary told ThePrint.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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