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Senior All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader and former minister S Semmalai on Monday, May 18, announced his resignation from the party, expressing disappointment over the internal conflicts within the party after the 2026 Assembly elections.
In his letter addressed to the party’s general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), he said the internal churning within the party after setbacks in the 2026 polls have deeply pained him and added the party cadres are in a similar state of mind.
“Neither the incidents that have taken place nor the happenings are giving any satisfaction. On the contrary, they are only causing concern. Is this the fate of the movement founded by Puratchi Thalaivar MG Ramachandran and guarded by Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (Jayalalithaa)?” he asked.
His statement comes in the wake of a deepening rift within the AIADMK over the past week, with several leaders expressing dissatisfaction over the party’s poor electoral performance and blaming EPS for the setback. The party had been reduced to 47 seats in the Assembly from 66 seats they secured in previous 2021 elections.
The party was also divided over extending support to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Meanwhile, 30 AIADMK MLAs submitted a letter to pro-tem speaker MV Karuppiah seeking the appointment of SP Velumani as the Legislature Party Leader. Among the 47 seats that AIADMK secured, 22 MLAs led by Edappadi K Palaniswami voted against him in the floor test on May 13, where the rest 25 MLAs led by SP Velumani and CV Shanmugam defied party whip and voted in favour of the TVK government.
Subsequently, the faction of MLAs who had extended support to Vijay were removed from party posts.
Semmalai has also pointed out the limited opportunities given to him after former CM Jayalalithaa’s demise.
“After the demise of Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (Jayalalithaa), many opportunities were denied to me. Even then, I did not worry about it. Without expressing my disappointment, I continued to work in obedience to the party leadership,” he said.
“With a heavy heart, I seek forgiveness from the souls of the two great leaders (MGR and Jayalalithaa) who gave me many opportunities, recognised me in the political field, I am stepping down from the post I hold and withdrawing myself from the party," he added.