CHENNAI: Leading the party in celebrating the AIADMK’s 52nd founding day, former chief minister and party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday asserted that his party would lead a grand alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and win all 40 seats, including the lone Puducherry seat. “People are disillusioned with the DMK and the AIADMK will return to office again in 2026,” Palaniswami told the functionaries after hoisting the AIADMK flag at the party headquarters in Chennai.
At his first meeting with senior leaders and functionaries appointed to oversee the booth committees, Ilaignar, Ilampengal pasarai (young men and women’s wing) and women’s wing in booths in 82 party district units, Palaniswami had made it clear that the AIADMK would not have an alliance with the BJP not just for the 2024 LS polls but for the 2026 assembly election as well.
“EPS said the DMK which failed to implement its poll promises, has been indulging in anti-people activities, and people are against the government remaining in office. He was very confident that the AIADMK will assume office again in 2026,” said a senior functionary. Meanwhile, former AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam, who was ousted from the party, and his supporters garlanded the statue of AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran on Anna Salai to commemorate the party founding day.
For his part, Palaniswami, not taking the names of the rivals, called for unity of the AIADMK rank and file so that the party could achieve victory in elections. “The functionaries were asked to end rivalry amicably during their visits to districts or inform him about it. All sections in the district units should be ‘recognised’ for setting up booth committees,” said another leader. Noting that the committees should not have members of the same family, the functionaries were told to ‘clean up’ the committees in their respective district units and the final list of members and photographs should reach the party headquarters by November 6.
After garlanding the statues of late chief ministers MGR and J Jayalalithaa, Palaniswami distributed sweets to partymen and extended financial aid of Rs 1.03 crore to bereaved families of cadres, who died in accidents, and those who sustained injuries during their visit to and from Madurai for the party’s golden jubilee conference in August.
At his first meeting with senior leaders and functionaries appointed to oversee the booth committees, Ilaignar, Ilampengal pasarai (young men and women’s wing) and women’s wing in booths in 82 party district units, Palaniswami had made it clear that the AIADMK would not have an alliance with the BJP not just for the 2024 LS polls but for the 2026 assembly election as well.
“EPS said the DMK which failed to implement its poll promises, has been indulging in anti-people activities, and people are against the government remaining in office. He was very confident that the AIADMK will assume office again in 2026,” said a senior functionary. Meanwhile, former AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam, who was ousted from the party, and his supporters garlanded the statue of AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran on Anna Salai to commemorate the party founding day.
For his part, Palaniswami, not taking the names of the rivals, called for unity of the AIADMK rank and file so that the party could achieve victory in elections. “The functionaries were asked to end rivalry amicably during their visits to districts or inform him about it. All sections in the district units should be ‘recognised’ for setting up booth committees,” said another leader. Noting that the committees should not have members of the same family, the functionaries were told to ‘clean up’ the committees in their respective district units and the final list of members and photographs should reach the party headquarters by November 6.
After garlanding the statues of late chief ministers MGR and J Jayalalithaa, Palaniswami distributed sweets to partymen and extended financial aid of Rs 1.03 crore to bereaved families of cadres, who died in accidents, and those who sustained injuries during their visit to and from Madurai for the party’s golden jubilee conference in August.
