AIADMK Splits, EPS Sidelined? Shanmugam-Led Rebel AIADMK Camp's 30 MLAs 'Extend Support' To TVK’s Vijay

New Delhi: In a pivotal shift for the state's political landscape, a group of at least 30 AIADMK legislators, headed by veteran leader CV Shanmugam, pledged their allegiance to Chief Minister Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). 

Despite the move, Shanmugam downplayed rumors of internal friction, clarifying that his actions were not intended to cause a formal split within the AIADMK

This development follows reports indicating that the group of legislators led by Shanmugam is seeking the resignation of party chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

Not aligned with any coalition

Shanmugam further clarified that the AIADMK, previously a member of the NDA, is currently not aligned with any coalition, including the BJP. Following the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly elections where the AIADMK secured 47 seats, the group led by Shanmugam has emerged as the majority faction within the party.

This development occurs amidst mounting speculation regarding post-election alliances, as the TVK establishes itself as a dominant power in the state’s fragmented political arena.

Floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly

The decision by the Shanmugam-led AIADMK faction to back the TVK comes just 24 hours ahead of a critical floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, where Chief Minister Vijay must demonstrate that his government maintains a majority.

While the TVK emerged as the leading party with 108 seats, it remained 10 shy of a majority. Consequently, Vijay established a government by forming a coalition with the Congress, the Left, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

Speaking to reporters, Shanmugam said “The mandate is specifically for Vijay to become the Chief Minister. That is the foremost and most important thing we have to understand. The people’s mandate is for Vijay to become Chief Minister. So, we respect the people’s mandate. To honour that mandate, we wholeheartedly congratulate Chief Minister Vijay. We, as the AIADMK party and the AIADMK legislative party, extend our full support to the TVK government headed by the Chief Minister.” 

Shanmugam, a former Rajya Sabha MP, stated that the 30 MLAs were disillusioned by reports of a potential DMK-AIADMK alliance aimed at countering the TVK-led coalition. He further claimed that AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) aspired to lead the proposed bloc as Chief Minister. With these 30 legislators now backing the TVK, only 17 MLAs remain in the EPS camp.

"Edappadi K Palaniswami had proposed that he would become Chief Minister with the support of the DMK. However, the majority of the legislators did not accept this proposal. Consequently, the AIADMK is not in an alliance with any party. We will remain united. EPS is still our leader. We are not with any alliance (BJP). EPS is our general secretary," he said.

He further stated that the majority of AIADMK MLAs passed a resolution that the party would contest future elections independently and without any alliance. Shanmugam also announced that former minister S.P. Velumani would serve as the AIADMK Assembly Leader, while C. Vijayabaskar had been appointed as the party Whip. He added that the party had already submitted the letter to the Pro-tem Speaker.

"So, the majority of AIADMK MLAs in the meeting passed a resolution that the AIADMK will list in the election alone. AIADMK will be without any alliance. We are without an alliance now and should revamp our party in the coming days. Secondly, our former Minister S.P. Velumani will be the AIADMK Assembly Leader. The Whip is C. Vijayabaskar. We gave our letter to the Pro-tem Speaker yesterday," he said. 

Huge setback for AIADMK

This shift is regarded as a massive blow to the AIADMK, a party that has found it difficult to maintain its political standing since the passing of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in 2016.

Shanmugam asserted that the suggested DMK-AIADMK partnership violated the core values of the party established by M.G. Ramachandran, arguing that such a move was essential to protect the AIADMK from eventual political extinction.

"Some people proposed that we, as the AIADMK legislative party, should form a government with the support of the DMK. This proposal goes against the founding principles of our party because the AIADMK was founded to uproot the DMK, which we consider an evil force in Tamil Nadu. We have no intention of splitting the AIADMK. We are concerned about the AIADMK," he said.

"Certain proposals are being made that go against the basic principles of our party. Our legislative party members and party cadres are opposed to aligning with the DMK. Therefore, in our legislative party meeting, we took a clear decision that such an alliance is against the interests of the party. If we align with the DMK, the AIADMK will be wiped out in the future. As a legislative party, we passed a resolution against the proposal," he added.

Shanmugam noted that the AIADMK legislators had requested that EPS organize a meeting to evaluate the factors contributing to the party's recent electoral losses.

"In the recently concluded election, we faced defeat. Not only in the recently concluded election, but also in the previous election, we suffered defeat. We asked our General Secretary to convene a general council meeting to discuss the reasons behind these electoral defeats and to take further action in the interest and development of the party," he further said.

Kamaraj Support for Vijay

The shift in support from the AMMK’s sole MLA, Kamaraj, to TVK leader Vijay has created a significant rift, as party leader TTV Dhinakaran had previously pledged the party's backing to EPS for the Chief Minister post. This contradiction raises critical questions about whether the AMMK leadership will eventually align with Vijay or if the MLA will formally defect to the TVK.