AIADMK’s Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) R. Dharma. File
The AIADMK’s Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) R. Dharmar, who was till now in the camp of former coordinator O. Panneerselvam, on Saturday (January 24, 2026) met the party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
The meeting was a “courtesy call,” according to the party’s release. In June 2022, the nomination of Mr. Dharmar as one of the party’s candidates for the Rajya Sabha election triggered a clash between the groups of Mr Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, eventually leading to the expulsion of the former coordinator along with three of his colleagues, R. Vaithilingam, P.H. Manoj Pandian and J.C.D. Prabhakar the following month.
Mr. Dharmar, who held the post of Ramanathapuram district secretary of the AIADMK in 2016, later became the chairperson of Mudukulathur panchayat union. In 2017, when Mr Panneerselvam undertook the “Dharma Yudham’‘ campaign against the “domination of the family of former interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala” in the affairs of the organisation, the MP was instrumental in organising a meeting in his district for Mr. Panneerselvam, when the AIADMK coordinator in 2017.
A number of functionaries in the Panneerselvam camp joined the Dravidian major, the release added.
Published – January 25, 2026 12:47 pm IST
