Anbumani takes full control of PMK as Ramadoss retires, ending bitter family feud

The nearly 18-month bitter feud that split the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) between founder S Ramadoss and his son Anbumani Ramadoss has formally ended, with Anbumani consolidating full control as the party’s undisputed leader.

At the first general council meeting held after the reunification in a private hall in Mamallapuram, Chengalpattu district on Wednesday (July 29), Anbumani was unanimously re-elected as PMK president for another year. Vadivel Ravanan was retained as general secretary and M Thilagabama as treasurer.

Ramadoss hands over baton to son Anbumani

The meeting, attended by over 3,000 members including most of Ramadoss’s former supporters (barring a few seniors such as former president GK Mani and ex-MLA R Arul), marked the first joint appearance of the father and son on the same political stage since their emotional reconciliation.

Also Read: PMK patriarch S Ramadoss bows out of politics, hands mantle to son Anbumani

Ramadoss, who announced his complete retirement from active politics on his 88th birthday on July 25, declaring “political renunciation”, has stepped aside, stating that Anbumani will handle all party affairs and that well-wishers should no longer discuss politics with him.

Public conflict

The conflict erupted publicly during the PMK’s special general council on December 28, 2024, when Ramadoss appointed his grandson P Mukundan (son of his elder daughter) as youth wing president, a move Anbumani opposed. Tensions rapidly escalated into a full-scale leadership war. In April 2025, Ramadoss demoted Anbumani from president to working president and later expelled him and his loyalists from key posts, even announcing his daughter as a potential successor.

Anbumani’s camp countered by holding its own general council in August 2025, securing Election Commission recognition for his leadership and the party’s mango symbol.

Also Read: PMK feud escalates: Police complaint alleges Anbumani forged ECI records

Rival factions expelled each other’s office-bearers, filed court cases, and traded accusations, including claims of surveillance. The split deepened during the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections: Anbumani’s faction allied with the AIADMK-led NDA and contested 18 seats, winning four (including Dharmapuri, secured by Anbumani’s wife Sowmya). Ramadoss’s faction, which briefly operated under a separate identity and symbol, aligned differently and failed to make any electoral impact.

Emotional reconciliation between father and son

The breakthrough came on June 24, 2026, when Anbumani visited his father’s Thailapuram farmhouse near Tindivanam on the occasion of his parents’ 61st wedding anniversary. The meeting ended in an emotional embrace, with both men reportedly breaking down in tears.

Anbumani later told reporters, “From now on, only good things will happen.”

Also Read: Family drama rocks PMK: Two dates, two general council meetings

Ramadoss subsequently withdrew his civil suit seeking to reclaim the party presidency, and the splinter faction was dissolved. A party insider explained the final rapprochement: “The elder (Ramadoss) felt lonely. Only after that did he call the younger one (Anbumani), and hugged him tightly. The two sides uniting will help grow the party in the northern districts. The elder could not create any impact alone, so he stepped aside for his son and ended the problem.”

‘PMK a democratic party with no permanent leader’: Anbumani

With Ramadoss’s formal retirement, Anbumani now holds complete organisational and political control of both the PMK and its parent Vanniyar Sangam. Addressing the general council, Anbumani credited his father and the party for the state government’s announcement of a caste-wise census this year. He stressed that PMK is a democratic party with no permanent leader and urged cadres not to refer to him as such.

Also Read: Son triumphs in PMK power battle: EC hands Anbumani presidency till 2026

“Doctor Ayya (Ramadoss) must see PMK rule Tamil Nadu in his lifetime. Functionaries must work towards forming a PMK government by 2031,” he said, while offering constructive advice to the “inexperienced” TVK government.

Party to be launched in Andhra Pradesh

Anbumani announced that the Pattali Makkal Katchi would be launched in Andhra Pradesh within a few months.

“People there are showing great enthusiasm. Preparations have been underway for the past three months. This Saturday, about 100 key persons from various districts in Andhra will visit our Panaiyur office,” he said.