Palaniswami urges cadre to tread the path laid down by ex-CMs MGR, Jayalalithaa

AIADMK general secretary Palaniswami urges cadre to follow MGR and Jayalalithaa's path for 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election.

Pointing out that only 15 more months were left for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday called upon his cadre to tread the path laid down by former Chief Ministers M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa for the party to return to power.

“In these 15 months, we have a good opportunity to carry forward the legacy left behind by our late leaders Puratchi Thalaivar [MGR] and Puratchi Thalaivi [Jayalalithaa]...,” Mr. Palaniswami told his party cadre.

Delivering an address at the birth centenary celebrations of late AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister Janaki Ramachandran, Mr. Palaniswami said no party had won or lost elections continuously. “Victory and loss come in turns...”

On the remark that the AIADMK had been suffering consecutive electoral defeats, Mr. Palaniswami asked: “Has the DMK not suffered defeats consecutively...? Hasn’t the party come to power now?..” The AIADMK leader recalled that in 1991, the DMK had won only two Assembly constituencies.

He further said that though the DMK and the AIADMK were “family-parties”, there was a difference between them. “The AIADMK is a family. But the DMK is a party of [late DMK leader] Karunanidhi’s family. Only members of his family can become the party leader. As for the AIADMK, anyone from the AIADMK family who works hard, can become the party’s general secretary.” he added.

They could also become an MP or a Minister, or the Chief Minister, he said, adding: “That is the difference between the DMK and the AIADMK.”

Comparing the achievements of the erstwhile AIADMK governments with those of the DMK, Mr. Palaniswami recalled that his party was in power for more years than the DMK.