All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was founded on 17 October 1972 by M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) after his expulsion from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. MGR was one of Tamil cinema's most popular actors and had already become a major political figure within the DMK.

The party was initially known as Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) and was later renamed All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in 1976.

MGR built the party around a combination of Dravidian political traditions, personal popularity and a strong emphasis on welfare and support for poorer sections of society.

The AIADMK won the 1977 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, and MGR became Chief Minister. He subsequently led the state government through the 1980 and 1984 Assembly elections and remained Chief Minister until his death in 1987.

Following MGR's death, the party experienced an internal leadership struggle. The organisation was subsequently consolidated under J. Jayalalithaa, who became the dominant leader of the AIADMK.

Jayalalithaa first became Chief Minister in 1991. She subsequently led AIADMK governments during 2001–2006, 2011–2016 and 2016–2017. Her governments placed strong emphasis on welfare programmes, women's welfare, subsidised food and public services.

The AIADMK developed a reputation for large-scale welfare programmes. One of its best-known initiatives was the Amma Unavagam, or Amma canteens, which provided subsidised meals. Other programmes associated with AIADMK governments included welfare measures for women, students, families and economically weaker communities.

After Jayalalithaa's death in December 2016, the party entered a period of internal political competition. Edappadi K. Palaniswami subsequently emerged as one of its principal leaders and served as Chief Minister from 2017 to 2021.

In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, the AIADMK lost power to the DMK but remained a major opposition party.

The AIADMK contested the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election as part of an alliance that included the BJP and other parties. It won 47 of the 234 Assembly seats, while the newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won 108 and the DMK won 59.

Following the 2026 election, AIADMK remains one of the principal opposition forces in Tamil Nadu and continues to be led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami.