Three AIADMK MLAs resign from Assembly, join ruling TVK in Tamil Nadu

Chennai- In a significant political development in Tamil Nadu, three MLAs from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) resigned from the Assembly on Monday before joining the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

The legislators — Maragatham Kumaravel from Madurantakam, Sathyabama from Dharapuram, and Jayakumar from Perundurai — submitted their resignation letters to Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar.

Shortly after resigning, the three leaders reportedly met Minister Aadhav Arjuna and formally joined the TVK government camp.

The development has triggered fresh speculation about more defections and the possibility of additional by-elections in the state. Political observers believe the move could reshape the post-election political landscape in Tamil Nadu.

The MLAs are considered close to the AIADMK faction led by former ministers C.V. Shanmugam and S.P. Velumani. Their resignations are being viewed as another sign of internal turbulence within the AIADMK.

The ruling TVK, headed by Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, had contested 233 constituencies in the Assembly elections and initially won 107 seats after Vijay vacated the Tiruchy East constituency. However, the party fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats needed to form the government on its own.

Following the elections, TVK secured support from parties in the DMK-led alliance. The Indian National Congress later joined the TVK-led government and received two ministerial positions. Other alliance partners, including the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Indian Union Muslim League, also became part of the government, while the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) extended outside support.

Earlier, nearly 25 AIADMK MLAs linked to the Velumani-Shanmugam faction were believed to be taking a softer stand towards the TVK government, sparking rumours of a possible split in the AIADMK. However, the faction was ultimately not accommodated in the cabinet.

Later reports suggested reconciliation talks had begun between the faction and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

With Vijay already having vacated the Tiruchy East seat, the resignations of the three MLAs are expected to raise the number of vacant Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu to four. Political circles are now closely watching whether more MLAs from the Velumani-Shanmugam camp may follow suit in the coming days.

With inputs from IANS