CHENNAI / ERODE: Former minister and ex- AIADMK leader, KA Sengottaiyan is expected to join actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Thursday.
The Gobichettipalayam MLA is likely to meet Vijay on Wednesday to finalise his entry into the party, sources said.
“He will soon join the TVK. He has decided to resign from his MLA post on Wednesday. He is currently in Chennai,” a close loyalist of Sengottaiyan said.
A nine-time MLA who first won from Sathyamangalam when the AIADMK captured power soon after its launch in 1977, Sengottaiyan has long projected himself as a staunch loyalist of former Chief Ministers MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.
Sengottaiyan openly rebelled against AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on September 5, urging him to initiate measures to reinduct expelled leaders including former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, TTV Dhinakaran and VK Sasikala. He had said it was imperative to bring back all expelled leaders to the AIADMK fold to prevent further electoral defeats. However, he was immediately stripped of his party posts as a disciplinary measure.
His participation in the Thevar Jayanthi on October 30, where he openly joined hands with Panneerselvam and Dhinakaran, led to his expulsion from the AIADMK the following day.
There were also rumours that the ruling DMK was willing to induct him. His supporters, however, said that while he would surely win the Assembly elections if he joined the ruling DMK, his other loyalists and local functionaries who backed him when he rebelled against Palaniswami would not have got due recognition in the ruling party as it already has an established structure in place.
“We would welcome it if our leader joined the TVK to counter Palaniswami. Our leader is calm. However, they ignored him. Vijay is the only person after MGR who can attract a large crowd without paying people to attend meetings. So it wouldn’t be wrong if our leader joined the TVK,” the close loyalist of Sengottaiyan added.
However, the 77-year-old leader has decided to join the fledgling TVK, which is in need of experienced political leaders with organisational skills. Sengottaiyan has long been credited for his ability to effectively plan the logistics of electoral campaigns during the eras of MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa.
