Former Interim General Secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and aide to former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, VK Sasikala held a discussion with her supporters at her Poes Gardens residence on Monday | Photo credit: Special arrangement
AIADMK’s former interim general secretary and aide to former chief minister Jayalalithaa, VK Sasikala, has started consultations with her supporters to finalize her strategy for the 2026 assembly elections.
Ms. Sasikala currently has no seat in the AIADMK, though she says she remains the party’s general secretary. Her interactions with her fans will last until Friday (February 13, 2026). A close follower of her camp says, “Ms Sasikala may take a call soon.” This may happen before Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary on February 24, he adds.
Explaining the purpose of the interactions, her supporter, who has served as an AIADMK legislator in the past, says the idea is to impress upon Ms. Sasikala that her group should not stay out of the parliamentary elections, unlike in 2021 when it decided to withdraw from contesting the elections. Besides, the affairs of the parent party are “not run” according to the ideals of the organization’s founder MG Ramachandran and his successor Jayalalithaa. “That is why we want to enter the election fray and mark our presence,” notes a member of the Sasikala camp.
Disqualification period
As for Ms. Sasikala herself, the period of disqualification continues and therefore she will not be able to contest the polls this year. The disqualification period will not end until the beginning of next year.
When her nephew TTV Dhinakaran launched the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) in 2018, Ms. Sasikala was appointed General Secretary of the new party. At the time, she was serving her sentence in a jail in Bengaluru. A year later, Mr. Dhinakaran became general secretary and publicly declared that his aunt would continue the legal battle to gain control of the AIADMK. Even as AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami aligned with the Dravidian major, he refused to accommodate both Ms. Sasikala and former party coordinator and former chief minister O. Panneerselvam in the alliance.
Asked if the group’s presence on the electoral scene will affect the poll prospects of the AIADMK and its allies, he points out that in his home district of Tiruvallur, the AIADMK and its partners lost in all 10 constituencies by a wide margin. This showed how “weak” the party had become, and it is to “correct this situation” that the group is considering participating in the poll.
Asked further if the group would tie up with Mr. Panneerselvam, who met Ms. Sasikala in Pasumpon last year during the birth anniversary of Forward Bloc leader U. Muthuramalinga Thevar, and the faction loyal to Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss, says all options will be considered before she finalizes her stand.
Published – 11 February 2026 15:00 IST