Chennai, June 15 (IANS) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss on Sunday expressed confidence that a coalition government — of which his party would be a key constituent — will be formed in Tamil Nadu after the 2026 Assembly elections.

Addressing the district-level general council meeting in Tiruvallur, the former Union Health Minister said PMK is actively preparing for the polls through grassroots outreach and youth mobilisation.

“A coalition regime will come to power in Tamil Nadu next year, and PMK will be part of that alliance. We were not founded to help either the DMK or the AIADMK form governments,” Anbumani said, clearly distancing his party from the two dominant Dravidian parties without naming them directly.

Calling for a new political alternative in Tamil Nadu, Anbumani stressed that only when PMK is in power can true social justice be achieved.

“We should also rule. Only then can we ensure social justice for our people. We do not need anything else,” he declared, reaffirming the party’s long-held ideological plank.

Citing past examples, Anbumani recalled the role PMK played in ensuring 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Central government educational institutions during the UPA-I regime in 2004.

“It was PMK that insisted on including OBC reservation in the Common Minimum Programme of UPA. But when the implementation was delayed by two years, our founder Dr. S. Ramadoss warned that the party would walk out of the alliance unless the commitment was honoured. Only after that was the promise fulfilled,” he said, adding, “This is coalition politics — this is what Tamil Nadu needs.”

The remark, however, comes against the backdrop of recent tensions between Anbumani and his father, PMK founder Dr. S. Ramadoss.

The ideological and strategic differences between the two became evident after the 2021 Assembly elections, with reports suggesting that Ramadoss Sr. was critical of some of Anbumani’s decisions regarding alliances and internal leadership restructuring.

While the differences were never fully aired in public, the younger Ramadoss has in recent times taken a more assertive tone, indicating a shift in the party’s political trajectory.

Despite these internal frictions, Anbumani’s speech in Tiruvallur appeared aimed at consolidating party unity and preparing the cadre for a decisive political contest ahead.

“We are conducting these district-level meetings to strengthen the party structure, reach every village, and bring in more youth. The groundwork for transformation is underway,” he said.

With Tamil Nadu’s political landscape potentially shifting ahead of 2026, Anbumani’s pitch for coalition governance marks a renewed effort by the PMK to emerge as a kingmaker — if not a major ruling partner — in the state.

–IANS

aal/pgh