CHENNAI: In a major political shift, three AIADMK MLAs from the C Ve Shanmugam camp resigned from the party and joined the ruling TVK, even as five other legislators from the same faction switched their support back to general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Madurantakam MLA K Maragatham Kumaravel, Dharapuram MLA P Sathyabama, and Perundurai MLA S Jayakumar submitted their resignation letters to Speaker JCD Prabhakar before formally joining TVK in the presence of Minister Aadhav Arjuna at the Secretariat.
The resignations came amid efforts to reunite the rival AIADMK factions led by Shanmugam and Palaniswami. Following the party’s defeat in assembly elections, the AIADMK split into two camps, with the Shanmugam–Velumani faction backing the TVK government during a no-confidence motion—around 25 of its MLAs voted in favour of the government, while the Palaniswami camp opposed it. Both factions had separately petitioned the Speaker to be recognised as the real AIADMK in the assembly.
The Shanmugam camp had earlier hoped for an invitation to join the TVK cabinet, but no offer was reportedly extended, causing disappointment among its MLAs. As internal discussions continued, reports emerged that some legislators were preparing to return to the Palaniswami camp and that efforts to reunite the two factions were underway.
Against this backdrop, five MLAs who had previously supported the Shanmugam camp—Anthiyur Haribaskar, Arcot SM Sugumar, Sankarankovil MLA Dileepan Jaishankar, Kangeyam MLA NS Natarajan, and Panruti MLA Mohan—met Palaniswami at his Greenways Road residence and extended their support to him. This increased Palaniswami’s strength in the assembly from 22 to 27 MLAs, while the Shanmugam camp’s numbers declined.
The five MLAs later met Speaker Prabhakar and submitted a letter affirming their support for Palaniswami, while requesting reconsideration of their earlier vote in favour of the TVK government during the no-confidence motion.
Meanwhile, senior Shanmugam faction leaders, including former ministers KP Anbalagan and C Vijayabaskar, met the Speaker at the Assembly complex and urged him to act on their earlier petition seeking recognition as the AIADMK in the House. The faction remains firm on its stand, sources said.
Responding to the developments, Speaker Prabhakar stated that the petitions from MLAs backing Shanmugam were under examination and that an appropriate decision would be announced in the assembly at the right time.
The resignation of three MLAs and the return of five to the Palaniswami camp have triggered fresh political uncertainty within the AIADMK, raising questions over the party’s future and the next phase of developments.