'No place for Sasikala': Ousted leader won’t be taken back into party, says AIADMK

Party’s deputy leader in the Assembly, R B Udhayakumar's comments came a day after Sasikala began a four-day tour to Tenkasi and other southern districts to unite AIADMK cadres.

Chennai: AIADMK, Tamil Nadu’s principal opposition party, on Thursday dismissed the four-day trip by its ousted general secretary V K Sasikala to southern districts to “unite the party” ahead of the 2026 assembly polls as a “spiritual tour”.

Party’s deputy leader in the Assembly, R B Udhayakumar, reiterated that there was no “place for Sasikala” in the AIADMK and that there was no discussion regarding “unification of the party” during the meetings that general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami held with functionaries district-wise in the past week.

“Fish can become a dry fish, but a dry fish can never become fish again. She is on a spiritual tour since the Tamil month of Aadi has begun… nothing else,” Udhayakumar said.

His comments came a day after Sasikala began a four-day tour to Tenkasi and other southern districts to unite AIADMK cadres. Her tour also comes in the wake of renewed calls from within the AIADMK and expelled leaders like O Panneerselvam to “unify” the party ahead of the 2026 elections.

“She is trying to mislead people. She says she was with Amma (Jayalalithaa) for 33 years but I would like to know what is her contribution to people’s development? What did she do to her community,” Udhayakumar said. He also clarified that functionaries of the AIADMK didn’t push for the re-entry of Sasikala, O Panneerselvam, and T T V Dhinakaran.

“It is a myth that the AIADMK can win only if Sasikala, OPS, and TTV join us. We will win when people decide to vote for us,” Udhayakumar added.