Founder of PMK (NDA ally) S Ramadoss on Thursday said that though he wanted to remain in an alliance with the AIADMK, his son and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss and his wife wanted to align with the BJP.
“I wanted an alliance with AIADMK for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” Ramadoss said at a press conference held at his residence in Thailapuram. “But suddenly, Anbumani and his wife Sowmya came to Thailapuram and cried to me, and held my legs insisting on an alliance with the BJP…. An AIADMK-PMK alliance would have been a natural one. Had it materialised, PMK might have won three seats and AIADMK seven. We could have won 10 seats together. Anbumani said that if we were to refuse a BJP alliance, I should be the one to take the blame. I was left with no option.”
To be clear, Ramadoss’s assertion has been doing rounds ever since the AIADMK left the BJP in 2023 before patching up this April. After the split, those in the NDA including PMK stayed with the BJP with only the DMDK taking the AIADMK’s side.
Over the years, the PMK which is an influential party among the dominant community of Vanniyars with a core vote bank of about 5%, has swung between the DMK and AIADMK except in 2016 when Anbumani was their chief ministerial candidate. The patriarch on April 11 took over the party from his son, successor and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss. The father made himself president of the PMK once again and announced that Anbumani would be its working president on the day Union home minister Amit Shah arrived in Chennai. On the following day, Shah announced that the BJP and AIADMK have patched up after 19 months and will fight the 2026 elections together.
{{/usCountry}}Over the years, the PMK which is an influential party among the dominant community of Vanniyars with a core vote bank of about 5%, has swung between the DMK and AIADMK except in 2016 when Anbumani was their chief ministerial candidate. The patriarch on April 11 took over the party from his son, successor and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss. The father made himself president of the PMK once again and announced that Anbumani would be its working president on the day Union home minister Amit Shah arrived in Chennai. On the following day, Shah announced that the BJP and AIADMK have patched up after 19 months and will fight the 2026 elections together.
{{/usCountry}}Anbumani subsequently challenged his father asserting that he continues to be the party chief since he was elected by PMK’s general council. Anbumani’s Rajya Sabha tenure also ends in July and his seat is among the six seats in Tamil Nadu to which biennial elections will be held. While the DMK has announced it’s nominees for 6 seats, the AIADMK is yet to announce for two seats.
Senior Ramadoss accused his son of threatening PMK officer bearers against attending his meeting in which only 13 out of 220 party office bearers turned up on May 16. The incident also indicated that the support within the PMK was leaning towards his son. Ramadoss, who is now 85, also regretted letting Anbumani become a Union minister at the age of 35 in 2004 and accused him of trying to attack his mother during a family gathering. “I have led this movement for 45 years with discipline and dignity,” an emotional Ramadoss said. “But now, the very calf I raised has turned on me. I am shattered.” He accused his son for the rift and for the weakening of the PMK.
Ramadoss and Anbumani have been sparring publicly since December 2024. Anbumani had objected to Ramadoss’ decision to appoint his nephew as the youth wing chief of PMK. “He flung the microphone on the table which barely missed my head,” Ramadoss said critiquing that he lacked leadership qualities.
At the PMK youth conference held on May 11, Anbumani praised his father for his effort for over 45 years with the Union government which has now announced conducting a caste census. But, the father did not return the kind words and said that the cadre are not working hard enough. Anbumani and his supporters did not wish to comment until the time of writing.