Chennai: A simmering spat between the founder of Tamil Nadu’s Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and his son has raised tensions among party workers and sparked fears of a split in the party ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, unless a resolution is reached soon.
Although the party leadership maintains all is well, PMK workers fear the party may split if the differences between S. Ramadoss and his son, Anbumani, continue until the 2026 assembly election.
“We wish it does not happen. But the rift between the father-son does not seem like it will end anytime soon, since Anbumani is not even willing to have a conversation with Ramadoss,” a senior PMK leader, who joined the party under Ramadoss’s leadership in 1989, told ThePrint.
The latest flashpoint came in April when Ramadoss called a district-level functionaries meeting at his farmhouse in Thailapuram in Villupuram district. Of the 220 functionaries, only 13 attended the meeting, reinforcing that the majority of the party functionaries backed Anbumani.
The party’s treasurer M. Thilagabama, a staunch supporter of Anbumani, alleged that Ramadoss is being misled by a few seniors, including G.K. Mani, the PMK’s honorary president.
“Because of his old age, Ayya (Ramadoss) is not able to concentrate on all the things happening inside the party. People like G.K. Mani are making use of it, and he is being misled,” Thilagapama told ThePrint.
Founded in 1989, the PMK largely represents the Vanniyar community, a Most Backward Community (MBC) in the state.
Tensions between the father and son first surfaced during the party’s general council meeting in Villupuram on 28 December, 2024, over a dispute concerning the appointment of P. Mukundan, son of Ramadoss’s elder daughter, Gandhimathi, as the party’s youth wing president.
The rift deepened after Ramadoss removed his son as party president and named him working president on 10 April.
Ramadoss declared himself as party president and said that G.K. Mani would continue as honorary president.
The development came just a day before BJP senior leader and Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Tamil Nadu to announce the revival of its ties with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on 11 April.
Party sources privy to the development told ThePrint that Ramadoss was not in favour of announcing a decision to join any alliance a year before the election, as it would reduce the party’s bargaining power.
Although the PMK joined hands with the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections a year ago, the party said it will take a call on the alliance for the 2026 assembly elections by next year.
The senior leader quoted above told ThePrint that Ramadoss was not in favour of joining the alliance with national parties for the assembly election as it was against his ideology.
“He always wanted to join hands with either of the Dravidian parties to gain a foothold in the state. It was because of his strategy that the PMK, at one point, had a vote share of over 10 percent in the northern districts in the state,” the senior leader told ThePrint.
“It was reduced to less than 5 percent in the last assembly election,” the leader added.
G.K. Mani told ThePrint the issue would be resolved amicably.
“Our Doctor Ayya and Chinnayya Anbumani will soon meet in person and will discuss everything. It is an internal party matter and things will be sorted soon. There was a rumour that our Ayya (Ramadoss) is going to get signatures from all the district secretaries and is going to remove Anbumani from the party, but it is not true,” Mani said.
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2026 Assembly election crucial for PMK
Political analyst Raveendran Duraisamy told ThePrint that the rift gained prominence as the party faces a crucial test in the assembly election.
“The upcoming 2026 election is crucial for the PMK and it is a battle of survival for the party since its vote share has dwindled in the northern part of Tamil Nadu,” said Raveendran.
“The PMK, which gained its vote share by eating into the votes of the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) since 1991, has now given up its vote share to the AIADMK,” he added.
According to Raveendran, the AIADMK’s move to introduce 10.5 percent reservations for Vanniyars in the MBC quota—later struck down by the Madras High Court—had shifted the loyalty of Vanniyars towards the AIADMK.
“In order to gain the lost vote share, the party has to work strongly among the Vanniyar community and it has to part ways from the NDA alliance. If it continues to be in the NDA, the alliance parties will eat into the PMK’s vote share,” Raveendran said.
However, political analyst N. Sathiya Moorthy said the dispute represented a generational shift in political strategy.
“Although being the son, Anbumani has closely seen the alliance strategy of his father Ramadoss, he is now not ready to accept the old practice of deciding the alliance at the last minute,” Sathiya Moorthy said.
“Since the VCK is with the DMK alliance, the PMK has no choice but to join with the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Hence, Anbumani wants to take the lead in announcing the alliance. However, Ramadoss is hesitating to increase the bargaining power, which Anbumani probably feels is pointless,” he added.
PMK’s electoral performance
Dr Ramadoss, a practicing doctor, came to public life in 1980 when he formed the Vanniyar Sangam, a coalition of all Vanniyar organisations.
The Vanniyar Sangam, led by Ramadoss, organised huge protests in 1987 demanding Most Backward Caste status for the Vanniyar caste. Hoping to tap the support for the agitation, he founded the Pattali Makkal Katchi in 1989.
The party first contested the 1991 assembly election, where it fought 194 seats and won only in one constituency, securing about 5.89 percent of the votes.
In 1996, the party formed a third front and contested about 116 seats, winning about four seats and securing a vote share of about 5.4 percent.
For the first time, in 2001, the party aligned with the AIADMK and contested 27 seats. It won 20 seats with a 5.56 percent vote share. In 2006, the PMK joined hands with the DMK and contested 31 seats. However, it only won 18 seats with a vote share of 5.39 percent.
In 2011, the PMK continued in the DMK alliance and contested 30 constituencies, but won only in three. Its vote share was still 5.23 percent. In 2016, the party contested alone in all 234 constituencies, resulting in a rout with a vote share of 5.36 percent.
In 2021, the PMK joined the NDA alliance and contested 23 seats, winning five with a vote share of 3.80 percent.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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