Chennai: The Pattali Makkal Katchi’s 37th foundation day was observed quietly amid the growing standoff between the party’s founder S. Ramadoss and his son, party president Anbumani Ramadoss. While the senior Ramadoss urged party workers to strive for electoral victory, Anbumani for the first time voiced his desire for a share in governance.
Party workers, weary of the ongoing feud between Ramadoss and his son, felt encouraged by Anbumani’s words to prepare for the 2026 elections.
On the eve of the party’s foundation day, Ramadoss garlanded statues of Karl Marx, Periyar and Ambedkar at his residence in Thailapuram in Villupuram district. Anbumani Ramadoss on the other hand, did not make a public appearance unlike the previous years, but shared his statement on social media.
Anbumani in his post on X, pledged to accelerate the journey of victory to win a share in the government. “If Tamil language, identity, the people of Tamil Nadu, natural resources and the environment are to be safeguarded, PMK must continue its journey with strength. For Tamil Nadu to rise not only as a leading state in India, but also to compete with the world’s foremost nations, PMK must participate in the government that rules Tamil Nadu,” Anbumani said in a post on X on Wednesday.
When asked about Anbumani’s demand for a share in the power, Ramadoss said he had nothing to say about Anbumani’s stand.
When AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was asked about Anbumani’s ambitions, he said the AIADMK would form a government with a single majority.
“We wish that PMK will join the NDA alliance. As far as the alliance is concerned in Tamil Nadu, we are the leading party and we will take the decision,” Edappadi K Palaniswami told reporters in Cuddalore district.
Nevertheless, amid the face-off between father and son, PMK party workers believe that the duo will come together for people’s issues, keeping the leadership tussle aside.
Speaking to ThePrint, PMK treasurer Thilagabama said that the words of founder and leader are more or less the same. “While the senior leader asked to work hard for the victory, the junior leader went a step further demanding for a share in the government. It has given a moral boost to the cadres to work for the 2026 assembly election tirelessly. This also shows that they would join hands for people’s issues and political issues, leaving aside their differences over the leadership issue,” Thilagabama told ThePrint.
However, political analysts in the state say that a chance for a truce between the father and son is slim as both are not even close to holding talks. “But, closer to the election, political compulsions may bring them together to negotiate and bargain a fair share of seats from the alliance partners,” said political analyst Raveendran Duraisamy.
He also pointed out that the differences between the senior Ramadoss and Junior Ramadoss was not over the leadership of the party, but over which alliance the PMK should join in the upcoming 2026 polls.
“With the INDIA bloc alliance almost sealed, two options left for PMK are newly formed actor-turned politician Vijay’s TVK and AIADMK. Since AIADMK is a natural ally for PMK, the father-son duo would join hands for a better negotiation with AIADMK,” Raveendran told ThePrint.
Also read: How BJP’s early push for alliance ahead of TN polls has exposed simmering father-son conflict in PMK
When PMK missed a chance for a coalition government
In 2006, despite having a chance to seek a coalition government, it was PMK which extended support to the DMK-led minority from outside.
In the 2006 assembly election, although the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance won 163 seats, DMK won only 96 seats on its own, which was short of the 118 majority mark in the 234 seat assembly. While Congress won 34 seats, PMK and left parties won 18 and 15 seats respectively.
Political analyst P. Sigamani said that it was because of the PMK that DMK managed to form a minority government instead of a coalition government.
“While people were anticipating a coalition government in the state, PMK with 18 seats, gave unconditional support from outside for the DMK, putting Congress in a fix. Later, as a longtime ally, Congress also set aside its aspirations for a coalition government and gave support from outside,” P. Sigamani said.
Nevertheless, PMK treasurer Thilagabama said that the political scenarios were different then and now.
“We had a 10 point demand from the DMK, which they agreed to resolve and implement, including the 10.5% reservation for the Vanniyars in the MBC (Most Backward Classes). However, none of it was implemented in the way we wanted and hence, to implement the schemes and reservations for the welfare of our people, we have now decided to be part of the government,” Thilagabama told ThePrint.
PMK first contested in the 1991 assembly election independently, polling about 5.8 percent of the votes and won only 1 seat. In 1996, although PMK joined hands with the DMK-led alliance, its vote share dwindled to 2 percent, failing to secure any seats.
It was in 2001, that PMK joined hands with the AIADMK-led front for the first time, securing about 5.6 percent of the vote share and winning 20 seats in the assembly. This was PMK’s first strong performance, which the party leveraged from its Vanniyar caste base in Northern district.
In 2006, PMK was part of the DMK-led alliance and secured 5.4 percent of the vote with 18 seats. However, in 2011, PMK faced a significant setback in the DMK alliance, winning only 3 seats, reducing its vote share to 3.3 percent.
In 2016, the party decided to contest independently, pitching Anbumani Ramadoss as the chief ministerial candidate. However, it could secure only 5.4 percent of the vote and could not win any seat. In the 2021 assembly election, PMK allied with AIADMK and managed to secure 4.04 percent of the votes, winning 5 seats.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: PMK founder Ramadoss says son Anbumani ‘held his feet & cried’ for tie-up with BJP for 2024 LS polls
