VILLUPURAM: AIADMK Villupuram town south secretary and a long-term functionary, R Pasupathy, resigned from the party on Tuesday and levelled several allegations against former minister and senior party leader C Ve Shanmugam.
Pasupathy announced his resignation, citing dissatisfaction with Shanmugam’s leadership and style of functioning. In his statement, Pasupathy alleged that grassroots-level party workers and long-time functionaries were being sidelined, while preference was allegedly being given to “benamis” and individuals belonging to Shanmugam’s community.
The development comes at a crucial juncture when political parties across the state are finalising candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections. In the 2021 Assembly elections, Shanmugam contested from the Villupuram constituency and lost to DMK's R Lakshmanan. Following that defeat, sources indicated that he has been reassessing his electoral prospects and is now preparing to contest from the Mailam constituency instead.
According to party sources, Shanmugam has already initiated groundwork in Mailam through close associates, including family members. However, his continued influence over candidate selection in Villupuram has allegedly triggered resentment among local functionaries.
Further, Pasupathy alleged that Shanmugam was attempting to field "proxy candidates" in Villupuram and was unwilling to allow other aspirants a fair chance to contest and potentially win from the constituency. He also claimed that deserving party workers were being ignored in favour of handpicked individuals.
Moreover, he alleged that Shanmugam had been favouring functionaries belonging to his caste and had not bothered about Dalits, who are believed to make up an equal number of functionaries and supporters of the party.
There are also indications that Shanmugam has recommended a woman advocate as a potential candidate for Villupuram, a move that has not gone down well with certain sections within the district unit.
In addition, Pasupathy demanded a reorganisation of the party’s district structure, including the appointment of new district secretaries, by bifurcating the existing unit, none of which were considered for change by Shanmugam, sources said.
The resignation and the accompanying allegations have sparked discussions within political circles, as dissent within the AIADMK ranks, especially against a senior leader like Shanmugam, could have implications for the party’s electoral preparedness in the region.