Expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala met with supporters eyeing a 2026 comeback. Separately, CM Stalin rejected a power-sharing model with allies but confirmed the DMK-Congress alliance remains strong, with seat-sharing talks scheduled.
Expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala on Wednesday held a meeting with her supporters in Chennai as Tamil Nadu prepares for Assembly elections. Sasikala, who was once the AIADMK's Acting General Secretary and a close aide to former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa, was expelled from the party after she was convicted in the disproportionate assets case. She is eyeing a comeback in the 2026 assembly elections.
SS Arasan, a supporter of expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala, said, "We are with Chinnamma (VK Sasikala) and will stand by her no matter what. Whatever decision she takes in the upcoming 2026 elections, we will stand by Chinnamma. I have been a very loyal supporter of VK Sasikala and her husband Natarajan since childhood. This will always continue."
DMK-Congress Alliance Dynamics
Meanwhile, ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections, Tamil Nadu CM ruled out any shared governance model with party allies amid reports that the Congress is demanding ministerial berths in the government. Congress maintained that the alliance remains "very strong" and reiterated that the party will hold alliance talks on February 22.
"A share in governance is a demand that does not apply to Tamil Nadu. They know it better than us. That slogan is nothing but a calculated conspiracy by those who cannot stand to see us united," he said However, the Tamil Nadu CM signalled that the Congress would continue to be a partner when the state goes to the hustings. "Congress will certainly remain in the DMK alliance. Our alliance is cordial. It is the media that is deliberately creating certain unnecessary perceptions," he said.
Congress Reaffirms Strong Alliance
Reacting to Stalin's statement, Tamil Nadu Congress president K Selvaperunthagai said that the alliance led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was "extremely strong". "The INDIA alliance is very strong. The DMK-led alliance is an extremely strong alliance. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam will win again and achieve consecutive victories," Selvaperunthagai said while talking to reporters at Chennai airport.
"We sincerely thank the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for accepting our request and inviting alliance parties for constituency-sharing talks on the 22nd, after the Assembly session," he added.
The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to the polls in the first half of the year. The DMK won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. Congress won 18, PMK won 5, VCK won 4, and others won 8. (ANI)
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