C Ve Shanmugam, a rebel leader of the AIADMK party in Tamil Nadu, expressed strong criticism towards party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) for disregarding advice to form an alliance with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) prior to the elections. Speaking to reporters after being removed from his party position, Shanmugam stated that EPS dismissed the suggestions of senior leaders, claiming he had conducted a survey predicting a significant victory for the AIADMK. Shanmugam pointed out that none of the party members had seen the survey EPS referenced. This criticism comes in the wake of EPS expelling several rebel leaders, including Shanmugam, from their party posts for opposing his leadership during a recent Assembly confidence motion. Following a floor test, 25 AIADMK legislators from the Velumani-Shanmugam faction supported the TVK government led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. In response, EPS announced the removal of 26 leaders from all party posts and appointed new district secretaries. Shanmugam rejected these actions as invalid, asserting that EPS lacks the authority to expel them and criticized his authoritarian approach to leadership, suggesting that it has weakened the party by expelling dissenters instead of fostering dialogue.