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Veteran AIADMK leader KA Sengottaiyan was expelled from the party after he called for ‘unity’ within the party by re-admitting previously expelled leaders.
Veteran AIADMK leader KA Sengottaiyan. (Photo: X)
The AIADMK on Friday expelled veteran leader and VK Sasikala’s aide, KA Sengottaiyan, who had given a call in September for “unity” within the party by admitting ousted leaders.
This came after Sengottaiyan joined expelled leaders O Panneerselvam and TTV Dhinakaran during an event on Thursday, where they targeted AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami and asserted that they would not rest until “betrayal” was defeated and that they would together take on Palaniswami in the 2026 Assembly election.
Palaniswami expelled Sengottaiyan from the party’s primary membership. “The decision was made following allegations that Sengottaiyan had acted in ways contrary to the party’s principles, policies, and code of conduct. Sengottaiyan was accused of maintaining contact with individuals who had previously been expelled from the party, thereby violating party discipline and bringing disrepute to the organisation,” the party said in a statement.
Palaniswami had earlier criticised Sengottaiyan’s meeting with Paneerselvam and Dhinakaran on Thursday and said he was not afraid to expel the veteran leader from the party.
Sengottaiyan, a nine-time MLA, and his supporters had earlier been removed from all party positions.
Sengottaiyan’s Tiff With AIADMK
Reports surfaced last month that Sengottaiyan had set a 10-day deadline for the AIADMK leadership to take steps to readmit those who had left the party. He called for a unified AIAMDK to fight the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the 2026 elections and a policy of “forget and forgive” to bring back expelled leaders like former Tamil Nadu CM Paneerselvam, party icon VK Sasikala and AMMK’s TTV Dhinakaran.
“To me, the dream of both MGR and Jayalalithaa is to return to power, and I had spoken openly about this on September 5. Their loyal supporters have given an overwhelming response,” he was quoted by The Hindu. After his remarks, Palaniswami relieved him of his posts as organisation secretary and secretary of the Erode Suburban (West) district unit.
On Thursday, Sengottaiyan joined Panneerselvam and Dhinakaran on paying homage to freedom fighter Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar at his memorial at Pasumpon. Later, Panneerselvam and Sengottaiyan met expelled leader, former AIADMK interim general secretary V K Sasikala, at Pasumpon after she paid homage.
Panneerselvam, who heads the AIADMK Workers Rights Retrieval Committee, said they have come together with confidence, and the aim is to bring together all “AIADMK forces.” Dhinakaran asserted that the objective was to bring back the rule of MGR and Jayalalithaa by bringing together Amma’s cadres, adding that Palaniswami symbolised “betrayal” and named him the enemy.
In response, Palaniswami accused the trio of “scheming” for the past four years and called them the “DMK’s B-team”. He said the AIADMK could not capture power in 2021 in Tamil Nadu only due to such “traitors” and in view of their underhand tactics.
“As regards the AIADMK, whoever betrays; if they do not fully toe the party line, appropriate action will be taken… whoever it may be, action is being taken,” he said, in a reference towards Sengottaiyan’s position in the party.
(with inputs from PTI)
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
October 31, 2025, 17:50 IST
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