Sasikala to field candidates in TN Assembly polls, announcement on Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary

Chennai: V.K. Sasikala is set to field candidates in select constituencies in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, marking a fresh attempt to reassert her political presence in the state.

Sources close to her camp said the former aide of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa is preparing to test her influence, particularly in the southern districts and the Thevar belt, where she is believed to retain a loyal support base.

Her supporters are likely to contest under the banner of the Anna Dravidiar Kazhagam, a party floated in 2018 by her brother V.K. Divakaran.

The move is seen as a strategic effort to carve out an independent political space after years on the margins of Tamil Nadu’s fast-evolving electoral landscape.

Sasikala has reportedly been holding a series of consultations with loyalists and former party functionaries to assess grassroots support and finalise the scale of her electoral intervention. As part of this groundwork, she is said to be planning a public meeting in Kallakurichi district during the second week of February to mobilise cadres and signal her renewed political engagement.

An official announcement on her future course of action is expected on February 24, coinciding with Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary — a date of symbolic importance for her followers.

Observers say the timing is intended to evoke the legacy of the late leader and reconnect with AIADMK cadres who continue to view Sasikala as part of that political lineage. Her renewed efforts come against the backdrop of a turbulent political journey. Once considered one of the most powerful figures in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Sasikala briefly served as interim general secretary following Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016. However, her career suffered a major setback after her conviction in the disproportionate assets case, which led to a four-year prison term and her subsequent expulsion from the party.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has since firmly ruled out her re-entry into the party.

Meanwhile, her relationship with her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran has also remained strained, with several Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam functionaries earlier expelled for maintaining contact with her.

Attempts to secure alliances with either the AIADMK or the National Democratic Alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, have so far failed to gain traction.

With the 2026 polls approaching, Sasikala’s decision to field candidates could determine whether she re-emerges as a meaningful political player or remains on the fringes of Tamil Nadu politics.

IANS