BJP repeats TN script; Sengottaiyan meets OPS’s fate in intra-AIADMK row

The recent actions in the AIADMK have left the NDA's fragile coalition in Tamil Nadu appear crumbling even as the 2026 Assembly elections loom. Defections, denials, and simmering resentments threaten to upend the political chessboard.

KA Sengottaiyan, the nine-time MLA from Gobichettipalayam and a critic of AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), finds himself expelled and isolated—just weeks after revealing covert overtures from the BJP.

Political observers note that this appears to be the second instance of the BJP leading anti-EPS dissidents "up the garden path", the earlier one being former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (OPS).

'Support' from BJP?

Sengottaiyan's expulsion from the AIADMK on October 31 for "anti-party activities" was the culmination of his persistent calls for party unification, including the reinstatement of expelled leaders such as OPS, AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran, and VK Sasikala.

What began as subtle pressure tactics—issuing an ultimatum to EPS in early September—escalated into open confrontation. In interviews in Erode last week, Sengottaiyan admitted that BJP leaders had contacted him multiple times, urging him to rally splinter groups against EPS's leadership.

Also Read: AIADMK expels 14 supporters of Sengottaiyan from party

"They wanted me to unite those who have split from the AIADMK," he revealed, crediting the BJP for bolstering AIADMK's hold on power after then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's 2016 death, and "protecting" the EPS regime through turbulent times. This admission marked a sharp U-turn from his stance on November 4, where he insisted his moves were independent and not BJP-orchestrated.

BJP's denials

The timing is telling: It came mere days after former MLA Manoj Pandian—once seen as OPS's shadow—defected to the ruling DMK on November 6 in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin, bolstering the party's southern flank.

Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran wasted no time in rebuttal, alleging the DMK to be the "brain behind the Sengottaiyan issue" to fracture NDA alliances. "The national leadership did not instruct or contact him," Nagendran asserted, framing the revelation as a ploy to derail the BJP-AIADMK tie-up ahead of polls. Yet, details remain murky—who exactly in the BJP reached out, and what was discussed.

Sengottaiyan's well-documented "secret meeting" with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi while still in the AIADMK only fuels speculation of deeper ties now fraying at the edges.

Palpable shock

Sengottaiyan's shock is palpable. Having entered the fray trusting the BJP's backing, he now stands politically adrift, vowing legal action against his ouster but receiving no public nod from his erstwhile allies. The EPS purge extended to 14 of his supporters, including former MP V Sathyabama, on November 7.

For observers, this mirrors OPS's trajectory—a tale of misplaced faith in the saffron party's promises.

OPS's saga with the BJP is a masterclass in political opportunism gone awry. Once propped up as Chief Minister by NDA support in 2017, OPS clashed with Sasikala's ambitions, leading to his ouster. BJP-mediated efforts briefly reunited him with EPS in a dual-leadership pact, but cracks surfaced quickly.

Also Read: Sengottaiyan's expulsion triggers fresh internal feud in AIADMK

EPS's insistence on "single leadership" saw OPS expelled in 2018.

Fast-forward to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls: OPS contested as an NDA ally on a 'jackfruit' symbol, in Ramanathapuram, but suffered a humiliating defeat. His subsequent exit from the alliance in a fit of rage—citing BJP's refusal to aid his legal battles to reclaim AIADMK and their full-fledged EPS tie-up—has left him more marginalized than ever.

"BJP is not helping me seize AIADMK now," OPS lamented recently, as his camp haemorrhages talent.

DMK’s tightens grip

Manoj Pandian's DMK switch has already strengthened Stalin's hold in Tirunelveli and southern districts. Rumours now swirl around another key loyalist, R Vaithilingam—a Jayalalithaa-era heavyweight and former joint coordinator of AIADMK —who is reportedly in talks with DMK Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.

EPS's unwillingness to reintegrate OPS faction members has made them ripe for poaching by the DMK.

Also Read: AIADMK, DMK clash over voter roll revision in poll-bound Tamil Nadu

But OPS, undeterred, doubled down on the buzz in Chennai: "Vaithilingam will never join another party. He's fighting legally through our Members' Rights Retrieval Committee."

Vaithilingam, part of the "four musketeers" in Jayalalithaa's cabinet, backed OPS on single-leadership rows and boasts a formidable network. Yet, defections plague him, too. Supporters like Rathimeena Sekar and Arivurai Nambi have swung to the EPS camp.

Sources note Vaithilingam's growing distance from OPS, leaving him in a consultative limbo amid the DMK's overtures.

'EPS is DMK's B-team'

Adding fuel to the fire, Dhinakaran has ramped up attacks on EPS, dredging up the 2017 RK Nagar bypoll where he claims to have "saved AIADMK" only to be expelled days later. "We garlanded the Ambedkar statue together on April 3; by April 6, he booted me out. What treason did I commit in three days?" Dhinakaran thundered, accusing EPS of being DMK's "B-team."

He alluded to Stalin's unfulfilled promises on Kodanad graft probes and Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin's quip that EPS's AIADMK stewardship suits DMK fine. "There's an unholy understanding between DMK and AIADMK," Dhinakaran alleged, vowing to "teach EPS a lesson."

Also Read: Mukkulathur vote war: How Thevar community became Tamil Nadu’s biggest political prize

The Pasumpon Thevar Jayanthi event on October 30 crystallised the anti-EPS front's disarray: OPS, Sengottaiyan, and Dhinakaran shared the stage, but only the first two met Sasikala afterward. No record exists of Dhinakaran's parley with Sasikala, who is also his aunt. , underscoring fault lines.

Veteran journalist SP Lakshmanan, dissecting the AIADMK-AMMK feud, offers a measured view.

What options are left for expelled?

"Sasikala retains a distinct political identity, signing off as AIADMK General Secretary. Dhinakaran runs his own outfit, OPS helms the rights committee, and Sengottaiyan has no party. If OPS joins AMMK for polls, he'd forfeit his legal claims," Lakshmanan noted.

On the BJP's role, he said: "Their games will clarify post-Bihar elections. Once focus shifts back to Tamil Nadu, the expelled lot—Sengottaiyan, OPS, Dhinakaran—face stark choices: stand alone, ally with TVK (Vijay's party), or drift to DMK."

Also Read: Why AIADMK's Gautami Tadimalla insists that DMK should be defeated

With the AIADMK reunification odds slim, the BJP's denial of support to Sengottaiyan hints at abandonment. As OPS's fortress crumbles and Dhinakaran sharpens his knives, Tamil Nadu's opposition remains a divided house.