Chennai: At least 30 AIADMK MLAs, led by senior leader C V Shanmugam on Tuesday announced support for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay and his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Shanmugam, however, rejected speculation of a split within the AIADMK and asserted that there was no move to divide the party.
The announcement came amid reports that the Shanmugam-led faction wanted AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami to step down. Shanmugam also clarified that the AIADMK, despite being part of the NDA, was not aligned with any alliance, including the BJP.
The AIADMK secured 47 seats in the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly election, with the Shanmugam-backed group emerging as the dominant faction within the party.
The support for TVK came a day before a crucial floor test in the Assembly, where Chief Minister Vijay is set to prove his majority. TVK emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats, falling short of the majority mark by 10 seats, and subsequently formed the government with support from Congress, Left parties, VCK and IUML.
Speaking at a press conference in Chennai, Shanmugam acknowledged the AIADMK’s recent electoral setbacks, including its defeat in the 2021 Assembly election, poor performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and failure to win any parliamentary seat in 2024.
He said the people’s mandate was clearly in favour of Vijay becoming chief minister and added that the AIADMK legislative party respected that verdict and would fully support the TVK-led government.
Shanmugam also alleged that some within the party had explored the possibility of a DMK-AIADMK alliance with Palaniswami as chief ministerial candidate, a proposal he claimed most legislators opposed. With 30 MLAs backing TVK, only 17 legislators continue to support EPS, he said.
Reiterating that AIADMK was founded on principles opposed to the DMK, Shanmugam argued that any alliance with the ruling party would damage the AIADMK’s identity and future prospects.
He maintained that the faction had no intention of breaking the party but wanted to protect it from political decline. The legislators had also urged Palaniswami to convene a general council meeting to discuss the reasons behind the party’s repeated electoral defeats and future strategy, he added.
Shanmugam further announced that AIADMK MLAs S P Velumani and G Hari had been chosen as Leader and Deputy Leader of the legislative party, respectively.
