In what could be termed a volte-face within the politics of Tamil Nadu, 30 MLAs belonging to the AIADMK, under the guidance of CV Shanmugam, an experienced leader, have expressed their loyalty towards the government headed by the Chief Minister Joseph Vijay and formed under the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party. This has occurred at a crucial time, one day prior to the Chief Minister’s test of strength in the Assembly.
The TVK emerged from the recent polls as the single largest party with 108 seats, yet remained ten short of the 118 required for an absolute majority. While Vijay had already cobbled together a coalition with the Congress, Left parties, VCK, and IUML, this unexpected backing from a majority of the AIADMK’s 47 elected members significantly bolsters his position.
Speaking at a press conference in Chennai, Shanmugam — the MLA for Mailam — framed the decision as a mark of respect for the public's choice. He noted that the electorate had clearly voiced their desire for Vijay to lead, and that the AIADMK legislative party felt duty-bound to honour that mandate. However, the decision also appears to be a direct rebellion against party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS).
Shanmugam revealed a deep rift over a controversial proposal, allegedly spearheaded by EPS, to align with the DMK — the AIADMK’s historical arch-rival — to challenge the TVK-led bloc. “AIADMK is a party formed for destroying the DMK, which is an evil party,” declared Shanmugam. According to him, the formation of such an alliance would have ensured “the destruction of the party’s future.” He went on to add that the party is running independently at the moment, with no connections whatsoever with the BJP.
Despite the obvious internal friction, Shanmugam was careful to dismiss talk of a formal split, insisting that EPS remains the General Secretary for now. Nevertheless, the group has moved to assert its own leadership within the House, electing SP Velumani as the Leader of the Legislative Party and G Hari as his deputy.
This internal coup leaves EPS with the support of only 17 MLAs and follows a string of electoral disappointments. Post the failure of the 2021 assembly elections, the party is having trouble finding their feet again, as they have failed to register any significance in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections and have managed to win just 47 seats in the latest state elections. Amidst this situation where the party is still struggling to cope with the leadership void created by the demise of J Jayalalithaa, joining hands with the TVK can be seen as one of their last resorts.
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