EPS cracks down on Sengottaiyan loyalists ahead of 2026 polls, sacks 13 AIADMK functionaries

Sengottaiyan was expelled last week from party’s primary membership, two months after his 10-day deadline to the leadership to unite all breakaway factions sparked a row.

File photo of Edappadi K. Palaniswami (Left) & K.A. Sengottaiyan (Right)

Chennai: In a move to tighten his control over the party, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) Friday expelled 13 senior functionaries, all known supporters of ex-minister and former party senior leader K.A. Sengottaiyan from the party’s primary membership.

In a statement, EPS said the action was taken for engaging in “anti-party activities”, and for working against the party’s interests. The list of expelled members includes former MP and district-level office-bearers in the Erode district—traditionally the stronghold of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and Sengottaiyan’s native district.

The sacked leaders include former Lok Sabha MP V. Sathyabama, and Erode district functionaries K.A. Subramanian, N.D. Kurinjinathan, K.S. Mohankumar, A.V.M. Senthil, Arul Ramachandran, P. Ramamaiyan, S.R. Selvam.

AIADMK leader said the move signals Palaniswami’s intent to quell internal dissent following Sengottaiyan’s expulsion last week.

“With internal dissent and factionalism, it would be difficult to run the party, especially ahead of the crucial 2026 assembly elections. Hence, our leader did not want the party to be disrupted and the cadres to be morally let down when everybody is preparing to take on the ruling DMK government,” party’s spokesperson Babu Murugavel told ThePrint.

It all started on 6 September, when senior AIADMK leader Sengottaiyan, an MLA from Gobichettipalayam, gave a 10-day deadline for the party leadership to start the process of unifying its breakaway factions. The next day, Palaniswami stripped Sengottaiyan of all the party posts, rejecting the demand to admit the breakaway leaders.

A month later, on 30 October, Sengottaiyan joined hands with O. Panneerselvam and travelled to Pasumpon to pay respects to freedom fighter Muthuramalingam Thevar on the eve of Thevar Jayanthi. Subsequently, EPS expelled him from the party’s primary membership on 31 October, citing anti-party activities.

(Edited by Vidhi Bhutra)