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Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S Ramadoss, 85, took charge of the party on Thursday, replacing his son, Anbumani Ramadoss, months before Tamil Nadu is due to go to the polls next year. Anbumani Ramadoss, a former Union minister who has led the party since 2022, has been redesignated as the working president of the PMK, which is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). PMK holds sway over the Vanniyar community, accounting for roughly 5% of Tamil Nadu’s population.
The change in its leadership comes amid reports of differences between the PMK founder and Anbumani Ramadoss, a Rajya Sabha member. S Ramadoss is believed to have favoured aligning with the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) after it walked out of the NDA in 2023. People aware of the matter said Anbumani Ramadoss insisted on remaining with the BJP ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections.
The PMK has had alliances with both the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and AIADMK. “As the founder of the party, I have decided to assume the role of the president of PMK,” S Ramadoss said at a press conference at his residence in Thailapuram. The announcement came as Union home minister Amit Shah was due to arrive in Chennai for a two-day visit as part of his travels to poll-bound states Tamil Nadu, Bihar, and West Bengal.
Shah was expected to hold talks with AIADMK leaders even as the BJP has sought to delink his visit to Tamil Nadu with the alliance-building ahead of the 2026 polls. In March, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami met Shah in New Delhi, fuelling speculation that the BJP could ally with the AIADMK ahead of the 2026 polls. HT this month reported about pressure on the central leadership from a section of the state leaders to renew ties with the AIADMK to allow the party to expand its footprint.
The AIADMK quit the NDA in 2023 amid differences over the statements of state BJP chief Annamalai, who has since stepped down. The PMK, Tamil Maanila Congress, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and part of the NDA in Tamil Nadu. The DMK returned to power in Tamil Nadu in 2021, winning 133 of the 234 seats.
The AIADMK’s tally fell from 136 to 66 while the BJP bagged four and the PMK five seats..
