The AIADMK's internal crisis resurfaced on Monday after the party's recent defeat in the bypolls, with dissident leaders meeting in Chennai to review the setback and discuss the way ahead.
The meeting came amid continuing unrest in the party after its Assembly election loss in April and fresh strains over the October 9 bypoll defeats in Dharapuram and Madurantakam. The dissident camp has also remained at odds with the leadership since some of its members backed the C Joseph Vijay-led TVK government during the trust vote in the Assembly on May 13.
A section of MLAs, including former ministers SP Velumani, C Ve Shanmugam, Natham Viswanathan and P Thangamani, attended the meeting. These leaders had earlier rebelled against the party leadership and voted in favour of the government during the trust vote.
There was no official briefing on the outcome of the meeting. However, sources said the leaders discussed possible steps to function as a separate group in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and to explore future political options.
Despite their differences with the current leadership, the dissident members have maintained that they are still part of the AIADMK. They have also been advocating the consolidation of various factions and the return of previously expelled leaders, including TTV Dhinakaran, to the party fold.
The AIADMK has been facing major internal unrest since it lost the April Assembly election and also lost its status as the principal opposition party, ceding ground to the DMK.
Both Dravidian parties were, however, overtaken by the fledgling TVK under Vijay, who went on to form a minority government with the backing of the DMK's long-term allies.
Except for Shanmugam, these leaders had earlier signed an apology letter and returned to the party after supporting the government in the trust vote. They now claim that their request to restore their key organisational roles in the AIADMK was ignored by the leadership.
Monday's meeting underlined that the party's internal tensions remain unresolved after the bypoll defeat.
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