AMMK (Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam) chief TTV Dhinakaran, who literally ran the AIADMK for a while after Jayalalithaa’s death in 2017, returned to the party headquarters on Monday after nine years – this time as an NDA ally.
The occasion was the finalisation of seats for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections and Dhinakaran’s party was offered 11 seats.
Asked about his earlier stint in the building, Dhinakaran said, “You say I am coming here after nine years. But for me this is not a new place. I’ve been coming since Amma’s (Jayalalithaa’s) days.”
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“Our objective is to defeat the DMK. Alliances are formed keeping people’s welfare in mind, not personal positions,” he added.
For AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palanisami, the occasion was expected to bring up memories as well.
Despite being then Chief Minister, Palanisami had to suffer embarrassment as Dhinakaran played the party boss, undermined him, recount party leaders privately. Even the Chief Minister’s car was not allowed into the party office and had to be parked in an adjoining lane. Only Dhinakaran was permitted to drive in.
Asked about Dhinakaran’s visit earlier on Monday, EPS said, “Don’t sensationalise”.
In 2017, Dhinakaran’s aunt VK Sasikala, as party chief, had made him her second-in -command, while she handpicked EPS as Chief Minister, unseating O Pannerselvam.
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But as she served her jail sentence in Bengaluru following her conviction in the disproportionate assets case against late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, EPS and OPS patched up and expelled Sasikala and Dhinakaran.
Dhinakaran, however, won the by election for Jayalalithaa’s R K Nagar seat as an Independent candidate, claiming to have inherited Jayalalithaa’s legacy.
After an unsuccessful attempt to reclaim AIADMK, TTV Dhinakaran launched his own party in 2018. He has not won a seat since – even with an alliance with the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and made an exit from NDA last year.
Dhinakaran belongs to the powerful Thevar community that has staunchly supported AIADMK over the years.
But the expulsion of three leaders from the community — Sasikala, TTV Dhinakaran and OPS — had dented the party’s prospects in southern Tamil Nadu, leading to the three successive poll defeats for the party.
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Now to revive AIADMK’s political fortunes, EPS has let Dhinakaran to join NDA, even as he shut the doors for OPS and Sasikala.
There appears to be more trouble ahead for the party. While OPS has joined the DMK, Sasikala has shaken hands with PMK founder Dr Ramadoss to take on what she calls “betrayers”, a tacit reference to EPS.
(With inputs from Sri Smruthi S)
