Sasikala begins consultations with supporters on finalizing strategy for 2026 TN Assembly poll

Former AIADMK 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.

At present, Ms Sasikala has no place in the AIADMK even though she claims that she is still the general secretary of the party. Her interactions with her supporters will continue until Friday (February 13, 2026). A close follower of her camp says, “Madam Sasikala may take a call soon.” This could take place before Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary on February 24, he added.

Explaining the purpose of the interactions, her supporter, who had served as an AIADMK legislator in the past, said the aim is to convince Ms Sasikala that her group should not keep itself out of the Assembly elections, unlike in 2021 when she chose to distance herself from contesting elections. Moreover, the affairs of the parent party are “not managed” in line with the ideals of the organization’s founder MG Ramachandran and his successor Jayalalithaa. “This is why we want to join the electoral fray and mark our presence,” the Sasikala camp member noted.

Disqualification period

As for Ms Sasikala herself, the period of disqualification continues and hence she will not be able to contest this year’s elections. The disqualification period will not end until early next year.

When her cousin TTV Dhinakaran launched the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) in 2018, Ms Sasikala was appointed general secretary of the new party. At that 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 court battles to gain control of the AIADMK. Though he has joined hands with the Dravidian major, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has refused to include Ms Sasikala as well as former party coordinator and ex-Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam in the alliance.

To a question whether the group’s presence on the electoral scene will have an impact on the prospects of the AIADMK and its allies in the polls, he recalled that in his home constituency of Tiruvallur, the AIADMK and its partners had lost in all ten constituencies by significant margins. This showed how the party had become ‘weak’, and to ‘correct this situation’ the group is considering participating in the poll.

To another question on whether the group would align itself with Mr Panneerselvam, who met Ms Sasikala in Pasumpon last year on the birth anniversary of Forward Bloc leader U. Muthuramalinga Thevar, and a faction that owes allegiance to Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss, he said all options would be considered before finalizing its position.