AIADMK candidates in Tamil Nadu’s southern districts are worried that separate electoral moves by Sasikala and Puthiya Tamilagam leader Krishnasamy could split key community votes and weaken the party’s prospects, according to a section of AIADMK organisational secretaries.
They said southern district functionaries had urged party leader Edappadi K Palaniswami to bring Sasikala back into the party, but the request was not accepted. Angered by what they described as continued sidelining, Sasikala has now launched a new party, announced a candidate, and is preparing to face the election.
According to the functionaries, Sasikala’s party plans to contest in 21 constituencies with a significant Mukkulathor presence. They claimed the party would directly take on AIADMK in 14 constituencies, including reserved seats, and argued that even a few thousand votes per constituency could come largely from the Mukkulathor vote base that AIADMK expects to consolidate.
They also pointed to Krishnasamy’s decision to contest independently after his attempt to forge an alliance with AIADMK did not materialise. If he campaigns against AIADMK, they said, it could hurt the party in several constituencies such as Ottapidaram, Tenkasi, Kadayanallur, Vasudevanallur, Sankarankovil, Kanyakumari and Ramanathapuram.
The functionaries further claimed that the combined impact of Sasikala and Krishnasamy could make it harder for AIADMK to manage community vote dynamics in the south, including among Nadars, Mukkulathors and Devendra Kula Vellalars. They said candidates were anxious, alleging that no clear counter-strategy had been put in place so far.
