EPS to head to Delhi, a week after Sengottaiyan met Shah AIADMK panchayat moves to Shah’s durbar
While formalising the alliance with the AIADMK on April 11, Shah had maintained that the BJP would not interfere in the internal affairs of the regional ally
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami
CHENNAI: The epicentre of the factional feud within the AIADMK seems to have moved to the national capital, as AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami is likely to meet alliance leader BJP’s chief troubleshooter and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday to iron out the issues.
Accompanied by senior AIADMK leaders, Palaniswami is ostensibly going to Delhi to meet CP Radhakrishnan to convey his wishes on being elected Vice-President. However, the more important but unspoken agenda on the table is the latest squabble in the party, which many here believe has BJP’s script all over it.
While formalising the alliance with the AIADMK on April 11, Shah had maintained that the BJP would not interfere in the internal affairs of the regional ally. However, his recent engagement with senior AIADMK leader KA Sengottaiyan suggests otherwise.
After being stripped of his party postings for issuing a 10-day ultimatum to Palaniswami regarding the re-induction of expelled functionaries on September 5, Sengottaiyan left for Haridwar on September 8. Though he claimed that the trip was in search of spiritual solace and peace, he stopped by at Delhi and met senior BJP leaders.
On his return, Sengottaiyan confirmed his meetings with both Shah and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and added that AIADMK’s internal matters were discussed with the BJP leaders. This left Palaniswami’s camp and the party cadre on a sticky pitch, reinforcing the ruling DMK’s narrative that the AIADMK was being increasingly submissive to the BJP.
Now, it's Palaniswami's turn to head to Delhi. The discontent within the party has affected his resolve to resist the sustained pressure from the saffron party to unite the factions ahead of the 2026 Assembly election. “EPS is an astute politician; he will never agree to any move that will pose a challenge to his leadership,” said a leader from his inner circle.
Meanwhile, Palaniswami’s campaign in Dharmapuri district, originally scheduled to be held on September 17 and 18, has been postponed to September 28 and 29.
Sengottaiyan, on the other hand, appears to have adopted a wait-and-watch approach. When pressed by journalists at Chennai airport on how he would respond if expelled from the party, he offered a terse reply, stating he would remain “silent”.
