The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) faction led by Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, on Monday, September 15, claimed it had received a letter from the Election Commission of India (ECI) accepting the August 9 general council resolution extending his tenure as president until August 2026. The rival camp, loyal to party founder Dr S Ramadoss, however, disputed the claim and asserted that the party remains under the founder’s leadership.
PMK spokesperson and advocate K Balu displayed the ECI’s communication, dated September 9 and signed by Under Secretary Love Kush Yadav, which stated that the Commission had “acceded to the request for extension of the term of office bearers till August 2026.” The letter, he claimed, confirmed that Dr Anbumani would continue as president, with Vadivelu Ravanan as general secretary and Thilagabama as treasurer. It also recognised the party’s Tilak Street office in T Nagar as the official headquarters and reaffirmed the mango as PMK’s election symbol, he added.
“The Election Commission has removed all doubts. Dr Anbumani will continue as president, and only those aligned with his leadership can represent the PMK and use the mango symbol,” Balu told reporters. He added that Anbumani alone would be the authorised signatory on Forms A and B for party candidates in the 2026 Assembly elections.
He also urged the media to stop portraying the PMK as divided into factions and appealed to members who had distanced themselves during recent disputes to return. “The party stands united under Dr Anbumani, while Dr Ramadoss continues to be revered as a guiding force,” he said.
The founder’s camp, however, rejected these assertions. Salem West MLA R Arul alleged that the party’s registered address had been changed to Anbumani’s residence without Dr Ramadoss’ knowledge and said the ECI’s letter had been misrepresented. “The Commission did not name Anbumani as president. The mango symbol belongs to the PMK under Dr Ramadoss, who built this party and its identity. He may be the father, but he remains the leader,” Arul insisted.
Arul further argued that Anbumani’s tenure as president ended on May 28, 2025, and that Dr Ramadoss formally assumed the post on May 30 after informing the Commission in June. He termed the August 9 general council meeting “unauthorised” and the resolutions passed there invalid.
The father-son rift, brewing since December 2024, escalated sharply on September 11 when Dr Ramadoss expelled Anbumani from the party’s primary membership. Earlier, he had appointed his grandson P Mukundan, son of Anbumani’s sister Gandhimathi, as youth wing president, a move that triggered open opposition from Anbumani.
Senior leaders in the Anbumani camp believe the ECI’s letter strengthens his claim to the presidency and clears the way for him to lead the party into the 2026 Assembly elections. But a former senior ECI official told TNIE that such letters are not conclusive. “The Commission can deliver a final ruling only if rival factions formally approach it with their dispute. Until then, these communications do not settle the matter,” the official said.
(With IANS inputs)