Sengottaiyan removed from AIADMK posts after calling for uniting expelled leaders
Just hours after his removal, Sengottaiyan held a series of meetings with his supporters and party cadres. Responding to the development, he said he felt no bitterness
AIADMK’s senior leader and eight-time MLA K Sengottaiyan was on Saturday (September 6) stripped of all party responsibilities after he urged party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) to bring expelled leaders back into the fold within 10 days.
Along with Sengottaiyan, several of his supporters who held positions in the Erode Suburban (West) unit were also removed from their posts. The move comes at a politically sensitive time, as BJP leaders from Delhi have been pushing for a stronger working relationship between AIADMK and BJP cadres ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
What AIADMK said
Sengottaiyan, a veteran leader and close aide of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, had argued that AIADMK’s victory in the 2026 Assembly polls would depend on uniting leaders such as O Panneerselvam, Jayalalithaa’s confidante and former general secretary VK Sasikala, and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran.
Also read: Sengottaiyan issues ultimatum to EPS; does it spell turmoil for AIADMK before TN polls?
A release from AIADMK announced that Sengottaiyan, who was serving as Organisational Secretary and Erode Urban District Secretary, had been relieved of his responsibilities with immediate effect.
Having first won an Assembly election in 1977 under AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran, Sengottaiyan has long been a fixture in Tamil Nadu politics. Whenever the AIADMK held power, he occupied key ministerial portfolios including transport, forest, agriculture, Information Technology, and revenue. He was once considered the third most powerful figure in the party after Jayalalithaa and O Panneerselvam.
Sengottaiyan reacts
Just hours after his removal, Sengottaiyan held a series of meetings with his supporters and party cadres. Responding to the development, he said he felt no bitterness.
Also read: BJP, Sasikala and OPS rally behind Sengottaiyan’s call for AIADMK unity
“I’m not sad. I’m happy that I’ve been relieved from party responsibilities. I urged unity with expelled leaders because I want dharma to win. I wanted AIADMK back in power. That’s why I spoke and made my request,” he said.
Later, at a press conference at his residence in Gobichettipalayam, Sengottaiyan said he should have been asked for an explanation.
“EPS claims in many public meetings that there is inner-party democracy in AIADMK and that people are treated with self-respect. But this is not put into practice. Only time will tell the impact of this decision. I have been relieved of party responsibilities, but I will continue my work of uniting people,” Sengottaiyan said.
He added that he did not expect to be removed from party responsibilities and pointed out that a general body meeting had not been organised in recent months to allow members to express their opinions.
“I only said the work of uniting expelled persons should begin within 10 days. Several cadres share this view. Many voters also say that AIADMK would win if all factions are united. Moreover, expelled persons themselves are pleading to be brought back into the party. I spoke about unifying factions because it would help the party. It was not for my personal benefit . It would only benefit the party,” he said.
Addressing reporters on Friday (September 5), Sengottaiyan said, “Those leaders keep saying they would unconditionally return. Only if we forgive and bring them back can we win. We lost a crucial opportunity in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Had we joined hands with the BJP, we could have won 30 seats.”
He also revealed that he had twice been given an opportunity to take over the party’s leadership, but chose unity over power. “I have served the party with dedication. After Amma’s (Jayalalithaa’s) death, we faced many challenges. Sasikala was unanimously chosen as party chief to save AIADMK. Amma had also praised me during difficult times,” he said.
‘Obey party norms’
Party insiders suggest that Sengottaiyan, a strongman from western Tamil Nadu, the same region as EPS, has been unhappy with the current leadership’s functioning for months. Interestingly, this is not the first time he has been sidelined. In July 2012, Jayalalithaa herself had removed him from the post of party headquarters secretary.
Another senior leader of AIADMK S Semmalai said the party high command took action against Sengottaiyan because he acted in a manner that was not accepted in the party. “I’m also a senior leader in the party. But I obey my party’s norms. If Sengottaiyan has differences of opinion, he should have spoken in the general body meeting. His removal would not affect the prospects of the party in the election. We believe he has some other hidden agenda,’’ said Semmalai.
