Expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala has welcomed senior party leader KA Sengottaiyan’s call for unity, declaring that only a consolidated AIADMK can unseat the DMK in the 2026 Assembly elections. In a statement to ANI, Sasikala invoked the legacy of MG Ramachandran (MGR) and J Jayalalithaa, calling the AIADMK a movement created for the poor and ordinary people. “Even after 100 years, this party will continue to serve the people,” she said, adding that Sengottaiyan’s appeal for unity represents the voice of cadres across Tamil Nadu.
“As long as loyalists like Sengottaiyan stand firm, no matter what the DMK attempts, their designs will not succeed. His words reflect the blood and spirit of the AIADMK,” Sasikala said, stressing that workers must rally together to overcome the ruling party’s “conspiracies.”
Sasikala asserted that the AIADMK, “like a flood that no dam can hold,” would rise again with renewed strength. She predicted that the DMK-led government would be ousted in 2026, claiming people were dissatisfied with its governance.
Her remarks came a day after Sengottaiyan, a senior legislator and influential Kongu region leader, told reporters in Gobichettipalayam that the AIADMK could not return to power if it remained fractured. He revealed that he and other senior leaders — S.P. Velumani, Thangamani, C.V. Shanmugam, and Anbazhagan — had urged general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) to reinstate expelled leaders Sasikala, T.T.V. Dhinakaran, and O. Panneerselvam within ten days.
Political analysts note that the public exchange underscores mounting pressure on EPS to reconcile with sidelined leaders, even as the party prepares for a high-stakes battle against the DMK in 2026.