S Ramadoss, the founder of Tamil Nadu’s Pattali Makkal Katchi, on Thursday expelled his son, Anbumani Ramadoss, from the party over “unprecedented anti-party activities” and accused him of behaving as if he was running a separate faction, The Indian Express reported.

Calling him a “weed”, S Ramadoss said that his son has been removed not only as the working president but also from the party’s primary membership.

The expulsion, which marked the culmination of nearly eight months of tensions within the party, came ahead of the Assembly elections expected to take place in the first half of 2026.

The crisis escalated at a special general council meeting in Puducherry on August 17, where the party’s disciplinary committee framed 16 charges against Anbumani Ramadoss, The New Indian Express reported.

He was reportedly given multiple deadlines to respond, but had failed to provide an explanation.

On Thursday, S Ramadoss said that the charges against Anbumani Ramadoss were proven, which is why the disciplinary action was initiated against him.

“The committee sent notices on September 19 and twice thereafter,” The New Indian Express quoted the party founder as saying. “However, Anbumani neither responded nor appeared. This constitutes an admission that the charges are true.”

“If he wants, let him start his own party,” S Ramadoss added.

He also warned his party functionaries against maintaining contact with Anbumani Ramadoss and stated that strict action would be taken against those who defy this directive, the newspaper reported.

The Pattali Makkal Katchi is one of the few caste-based parties in the state with a substantial vote base and an organised cadre, particularly among the Vanniyars in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu.

In the 2021 state polls, the party had won five of the 23 seats it had contested in an alliance with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. It had a vote share of 3.8% in the election.

The Pattali Makkal Katchi is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance at the national level.