COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore belt, long considered the AIADMK’s bastion, is now witnessing almost an even split in loyalty between two rival power centres, one led by party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami and the other by former minister SP Velumani.
Of the 47 AIADMK MLAs in the Assembly, 25 have extended support to Velumani and CVe Shanmugam faction, while the remaining 22 continue to back Palaniswami. A significant share of the Velumani camp’s backing is from the western belt, including MLAs from Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, and Namakkal districts.
“Around nine MLAs from western districts have aligned with the Velumani camp, reflecting his continued influence in Kongu region. One of his prominent supporters is KP Anbalagan,” a senior AIADMK insider said.
On the other hand, Palaniswami’s support base is largely confined to his home district of Salem. Of the 10 MLAs aligned with him, a major chunk of seven legislators are from the Salem district.
His camp also includes former minister KC Karuppanan, along with two MLAs from Erode and one from Harur in Dharmapuri, indicating limited backing outside Salem.
“EPS may be the face of the party, but his influence among elected MLAs appears largely concentrated within Salem when it comes to the western region,” noted a party functionary.
In a further jolt, former AIADMK minister KV Ramalingam on Thursday joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) along with several of his supporters in the presence of Minister KA Sengottaiyan. The development comes a day after unrest in Erode, where supporters of Ramalingam allegedly removed furniture, air-conditioners, and other materials from the party office following his removal as district secretary.
“If the leadership fails to address these grievances quickly, more exits cannot be ruled out, especially from the western belt,” a senior party source said. Following Ramalingam’s removal, R. Manoharan, who had unsuccessfully contested the Erode East constituency, was appointed as the new district secretary.
Amid the vertical split, party insiders fear long-term damage to AIADMK's organisational strength.