Nearly instantly, greater than 2,000 social gathering functionaries from the Erode area resigned in solidarity with Sengottaiyan. Nonetheless, this didn’t embody any former ministers or senior leaders, with the only real exception of former MP Sathyabama.

Political analyst Durai Karuna stated Sengottaiyan’s voice is heard since he’s the senior most chief within the social gathering. “Individuals assume Sengottaiyan has no heavyweights behind him. However in AIADMK, elections are usually not received by large names—they’re received by grassroots functionaries.

It’s they who herald voters, and they’re overwhelmingly supportive of Sengottaiyan’s name for unifying all AIADMK factions. Their voices might not be heard in social gathering headquarters, however they may mirror within the election outcomes,” Karuna instructed ThePrint, including that EPS can’t afford to underestimate Sengottaiyan’s rise up.

Amid the turmoil, Sengottaiyan travelled to Delhi Monday morning stating that he was travelling to Haridwar to go to the Ram temple, fueling hypothesis of a Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP) angle. Upon returning Tuesday night, he confirmed that he met Union Residence Minister Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. “I defined the political state of affairs within the state and I need everybody within the social gathering to be reunited to face the upcoming 2026 meeting elections,” he instructed the media in Coimbatore.

However, AIADMK senior leaders refuted it stating that he didn’t meet both Shah or Sitharaman.

In a video launched on social media platform ‘X’, Rajya Sabha MP Thambidurai stated it was an utter lie that Sengottaiyan met Shah. “As a result of I met him Tuesday. Had Sengottaiyan met the house minister, he would have requested me about it or to any individual else within the social gathering. However, he didn’t ask anybody…,” he posted.

Political analyst Marudhu Azhaguraj suspected a BJP hand within the developments.

“He has met BJP leaders a number of occasions and even now, as quickly as he was sidelined, he rushed to Delhi. It was Friday. He sat within the press convention with Periyar’s portrait and on Monday, he stated he needs ‘peace of thoughts’ and goes to Ram temple. These strongly counsel that he’s taking part in to the tune of the BJP,” the previous editor of AIADMK’s mouthpiece Namadhu MGR and Namadhu Amma instructed ThePrint.

However, the BJP refuted the claims stating that it didn’t need to intervene with AIADMK’s intra-party affairs. “We don’t need to intervene with the AIADMK affairs. Our social gathering’s excessive command has appointed EPS because the chief of the NDA in Tamil Nadu and we’ll comply with it,” BJP state president Nainar Nagendran stated Tuesday.

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Altering roles

Sengottaiyan was the Erode district secretary because the days of MGR. He first entered the Tamil Nadu Meeting in 1977 from Erode’s Sathyamangalam constituency and was higher often known as a loyal MGR man.

After the demise of MGR, Jayalalithaa relied on three people. Sengottaiyan was one among them.

“Jayalalithaa had three thalapathys (commanders) when she first contested in 1989 to turn into the opposition chief of the home for the primary time. Sengottaiyan, Azhagu Thirunavukkarasu and Rajakannappan had been the thalapathys she relied on. Sengottaiyan then was not merely a district secretary, however somebody whom she trusted on the highest stage,” recalled Durai Karuna.

When Jayalalithaa first launched into a statewide tour in 1989 to determine herself because the political inheritor of MGR, it was Sengottaiyan who mapped the routes and oversaw logistics.

“Earlier than Jayalalithaa reached a marketing campaign spot, Sengottaiyan would go to the place and ensure all the pieces was wonderful. That tour made him shut not solely to Jayalalithaa, but in addition to social gathering employees throughout the state,” recalled Durai Karuna.

Political analyst Perumal Mani famous that Sengottaiyan’s significance lay within the western area, which is now an AIADMK stronghold. “When AIADMK break up in 1989, Sengottaiyan secured the Erode belt for Jayalalithaa.”

Perumal Mani stated that within the Kongu area, Sengottaiyan’s stature is the same as that of EPS. “If Sengottaiyan says one thing, it will be heard throughout the area and folks take it critically. Cadres would rise in respect for Sengottaiyan’s phrases within the Kongu area. That stature is why he may problem EPS.”

The person who formed EPS

Former Palani MLA Subbunagarathinam underscored the irony within the relationship between EPS and Sengottaiyan.

“In 1989, Sengottaiyan launched EPS to Jayalalithaa. That’s how he first grew to become MLA. The social gathering was break up between Janaki and Jayalalithaa factions. Sengottaiyan introduced 12 MLAs to Amma’s aspect out of 27. With out him, she couldn’t have stood as chief of the opposition. However as we speak, the person who created EPS is being completed off by him,” Subbunagarathinam stated.

Durai Karuna additionally defined how Sengottaiyan formed EPS’s political profession. “EPS was as soon as caught in a case in Siluvampalayam, Salem. It was Sengottaiyan and Erode’s Muthusamy who helped him by Salem advocate Kannan. They instructed him he wanted safety, and the one method was politics. That’s how EPS was made Siluvampalayam department secretary method again within the Seventies,” the political analyst recalled.

Occasion employees within the western area recalled that Sengottaiyan was behind the rise of EPS of their districts.

“At one level, within the early 2000s, Sengottaiyan managed appointments, handing out union and district stage posts. After EPS misplaced the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Tiruchengode, it was Sengottaiyan who made certain he will get a seat to contest in 2006. However, he misplaced once more. However, he as soon as once more received a seat from Edappadi in 2011,” a union-level functionary in Salem instructed ThePrint.

The functionary added that “EPS was sacked as Salem west district secretary in 2010, however, inside a 12 months, he received a ticket to contest within the election”.

However, Subbunagarathinam stated EPS can’t be in comparison with senior leaders like Sengottaiyan. “EPS might have turn into CM, however he’s no comparability. Sengottaiyan and O. Panneerselvam labored below Amma’s direct command. It was a one-woman present, with army self-discipline. As we speak, with out Amma, the social gathering is sort of a cow with no rope,” he instructed ThePrint.

AIADMK’s spokesperson R. Babu Murugavel refuted the claims, saying that the social gathering management is supreme, no matter positions held by the seniors and their expertise.

“Even Amma stripped Sengottaiyan of his social gathering posts and eliminated him from the cupboard in 2012 and he was sidelined till her loss of life. It was EPS, who introduced him again to the cupboard and made him the training minister,” he stated.

Though EPS had been within the shadows of the social gathering seniors, former minister C. Ponnaiyan instructed ThePrint, EPS quickly rose within the ranks by successful the loyalty of the social gathering employees and consolidated his grip over the social gathering within the Kongu area. “In politics, all people is raised by a senior chief, however it’s all about how one takes it ahead and rises to management. EPS is amongst those that learnt the artwork of politics and rose to the management along with his personal power. Though he was faraway from social gathering positions, he quickly entered the internal circles of Amma’s Aivar Ani (five-member core committee) and he performed a serious function as minister between 2011 and 2016,” Ponnaiyan, a founding member of AIADMK, stated.

Rise of Sengottaiyan

Sengottaiyan rose from rumblings to command a presence within the AIADMK with a long time of expertise as each a grassroots organiser and cupboard heavyweight.

After successful the election in 1977 from Sathyamangalam, he shifted his constituency to Gobichettipalayam in 1980, from the place he received seven occasions.

Marudhu Azhaguraj, former editor of AIADMK’s mouth piece Namadhu MGR and Namadhu Amma, stated Sengottaiyan had a fame for planning election campaigns. “He was at all times a planner on the constituency stage, chalking out routes when there was no infrastructure. If Sengottaiyan deliberate it, it will go proper. Even in setbacks, he was each a grassroots organiser and a pacesetter.” Marudhu stated.

Sengottaiyan served as transport minister between 1991 and 1996 below Jayalalithaa and agriculture, IT and income minister between 2011 and 2012.

In 2012, Sengottaiyan was dropped from the cupboard and his social gathering submit.

Durai Karuna recalled that Sengottaiyan was invited by DMK leaders that point, which he quietly refused. “He was invited by DMK leaders as a mark of the respect he commanded throughout the social gathering strains. However, he selected to remain in AIADMK regardless of being sidelined.”

He remained sidelined till Jayalalithaa’s loss of life in 2016. In a flip of occasions, Sengottaiyan was inducted into the EPS cupboard as training minister in 2017. He was additionally AIADMK headquarters secretary between 2006 and 2012 and later, presidium chairperson in 2017.

Now, stripped of social gathering positions by the very chief he as soon as helped climb up the ladder, Sengottaiyan finds himself standing at a political crossroads.

(Edited by Tony Rai)

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