MK Alagiri, DMK chief M Karunanidhi's elder son
MK Alagiri is meeting his supporters in his constituency of Madurai to decide his next course of action after he was dropped from the DMK's list of candidates for Tamil Nadu's 39 Lok Sabha seats, which was shared by his father and party chief M Karunanidhi.
Mr Alagiri, who was suspended from the party by his father in January for indiscipline, said last week he was contemplating a party of his own and would consult his supporters on the matter. But he made it clear that a decision on the issue would be taken only after the national election.
Posters have already sprung up in his hometown of Madurai, naming his party as Kalaignar DMK. However, sources close to Mr Alagiri have dissociated him from the posters.
But the 63-year-old's meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and BJP President Rajnath Singh last week has only fuelled speculation of the possibility of a new, breakaway party.
Earlier this year, the DMK had taken a tough stance against Mr Alagiri after he, in an interview, opposed the party tying up with actor
Vijayakanth's DMDK. The DMK, at the time, was reportedly keen on an alliance with DMK after snapping ties with the Congress.
With the opposition in the state now left fragmented, Mr Alagiri could damage the DMK's prospects in his bastion of southern Tamil Nadu. In the 2001 assembly polls, Mr Alagiri had fielded rebel candidates, scuttling the victory of around 30 favoured by the party.
However, sources in the DMK claim have ruled out any such problems with loyalists of his younger brother MK Stalin holding key party positions in the region. Mr Stalin has been chosen as their father's political successor.