Once the dominant force in Tamil Nadu politics under M. G. Ramachandran and later J. Jayalalithaa, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is now facing a deep internal crisis. A growing rebellion within the party has put the leadership of Edappadi K. Palaniswami under pressure, with rebel MLAs allegedly backing actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay and demanding that S. P. Velumani be recognised as the legislative party leader. The developments have triggered speculation over whether the AIADMK is witnessing internal dissent or heading towards a major political split.