At a time when the two primary alliances led by the DMK and the AIADMK are finding it hard to conclude seat-sharing talks and move ahead with poll strategies, a new alliance which could shake up all the political math has taken form silently.
Jayalalithaa’s former aide V. K. Sasikala, who recently launched her own outfit called the All India Puratchi Thalaivar Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AIPTMMK) forged an alliance with the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) faction led by Dr S. Ramadoss.
The two leaders announced their decision on Friday to come together in an alliance and contest the upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on April 23 and April 9 respectively.
The two leaders finalised the alliance after Sasikala made a personal visit to Ramadoss’s Thailapuram residence twice.
The rationale behind the alliance
Sasikala, who was waiting in the wings to either return to the AIADMK or get a space in the NDA, found no takers.
She had stepped aside from politics in 2021, just before the election when everyone expected her to make a strong comeback. After a gap of five years, she has come back, not just to nurture her political ambitions but to make sure those who betrayed her are defeated in the fray.
In 2021, while speaking to THE WEEK from her T. Nagar residence just after the elections and during the second COVID-19 lockdown, Sasikala narrated several incidents that were apparently staged by the leaders of the AIADMK—including its general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami—to make her step aside from politics.
She narrated stories of the hardship she went through inside prison and how Palaniswami took over the party.
While she was making all-out efforts to make a comeback into active politics, there was no support from the family or from the AIADMK leaders whom she groomed by her close proximity to Jayalalithaa for nearly 33 years.
This time, Sasikala is determined not to give up. Despite not being able to contest or make her own party cadre win even one seat, Sasikala has chosen to be a disruptor.
The AIPTMMK and the PMK have decided to work in 100 constituencies in northern and southern Tamil Nadu—not to win, but to spoil the prospects of the AIADMK-BJP combine. They have chosen to focus on 13 districts comprising 60 constituencies in the south and 40 constituencies in the north.
With her community strength and links with the local networks in over 13 districts—Theni, Madurai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Trichy, Dindigul, Madurai, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi—Sasikala expects to cause a dent in the AIADMK votes.
Even 1,000 votes could mean victory in the upcoming election after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) changed the voter profile in the state.
Sasikala hails from the Kallar community, a sect in the Mukkulathor community. The Kallars belong to the OBC category and form the major chunk of voters right from Madurai to Tirunelveli.
In the north, Ramadoss’s Vanniyar community—again from the OBC category—have a significant presence in Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupathur, and Thiruvannamalai. Though the PMK party is largely with his son, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, the senior leader still enjoys respect and prominence among the Vanniyar community voters. This could help sway the votes against the NDA in the north and the south.
If Ramadoss campaigns against his son and narrates the betrayal stories in northern Tamil Nadu, Sasikala will go around in the southern and delta regions, opening a Pandora's box of secrets after the death of Jayalalithaa. She may also come up with emotional stories of cheating, betrayal and her time with Jayalalithaa.
Even now, women in southern Tamil Nadu hail and celebrate Jayalalithaa. This could help her wean away at least a few hundred votes that could favour her nephew and AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran, who is with the NDA and also AIADMK.
As of now, she has a dedicated set of former AIADMK leaders including former MP Vasanthi Murugesan, former MLA Mulachur Perumal, and retired IPS officer Velladurai, who are working along with Sasikala to turn the results against the AIADMK.
The two leaders—Sasikala and Ramadoss—believe that they could take revenge for the betrayals and make a huge impact on the upcoming election.
“This is a new alliance. Our alliance will see a massive victory in the upcoming election,” Sasikala told reporters on the sidelines of signing the pact with Ramadoss’s PMK.
