VK Sasikala to launch new party ahead of Tamil Nadu polls, takes on EPS

Speaking to NDTV in Madurai before leaving to address a public meeting in Pasumpon, Sasikala said she would unveil her party flag later in the day. Pasumpon is the birthplace of Thevar icon Muthuramalinga Thevar and holds deep symbolic significance for the influential Thevar community.

“I am introducing our flag this evening. I will field my candidates and tell people many things today,” Sasikala said, though she did not disclose details about the party’s structure or leadership.

Sasikala’s announcement coincides with the birth anniversary events of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, underscoring her attempt to reclaim political relevance by invoking legacy and caste symbolism. Sasikala herself belongs to the Thevar community, a key vote base in southern Tamil Nadu.

Her move follows a series of closed-door strategy meetings with loyalists over the past few weeks and is widely seen as a direct retaliation against EPS.

After Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, Sasikala handpicked EPS as Chief Minister. However, once firmly in control, EPS expelled her from the AIADMK while she was serving a jail term, following his reconciliation with O Panneerselvam (OPS), whom Sasikala had earlier removed.

Though a dual leadership model briefly existed — OPS heading the party and EPS leading the government — cracks soon emerged.

Sasikala’s political ambitions were derailed after her conviction in a disproportionate assets case linked to Jayalalithaa, resulting in a four-year prison sentence. She remains barred from contesting elections until 2027.

Over the years, the expulsion of Sasikala, her nephew TTV Dhinakaran, and later OPS fragmented the Thevar vote base — a development analysts say contributed to the AIADMK’s decline in the three elections following Jayalalithaa’s death.

While Dhinakaran has returned to the National Democratic Alliance, EPS is reportedly opposed to any arrangement that includes Sasikala or OPS. OPS, meanwhile, has exited the NDA.

Sasikala has repeatedly branded EPS a “betrayer,” while EPS maintains he was elected leader by AIADMK MLAs and not appointed by her. Sources close to Sasikala say she considers EPS her “enemy number one” and hopes her political re-entry will dent his prospects of returning as Chief Minister.

AIADMK reacts

The AIADMK has not issued an official response. However, a senior party leader questioned Sasikala’s political legitimacy, saying, “How can someone disqualified from contesting elections launch a party? The sword of Damocles still hangs over her.”

Whether Sasikala’s latest gamble will revive her political fortunes or further fragment the opposition space remains uncertain. But her return to the political spotlight has undoubtedly added a new layer of complexity to EPS’s electoral calculations in southern Tamil Nadu.