Even as the strength of the AIADMK rebel camp has begun to dwindle — with three legislators resigning and joining the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by Chief Minister Vijay, and five others returning to the parent party on Monday — AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) continues to hold the key to condoning the breakaway faction as the 15-day deadline for such action draws to a close.
During the trust vote held on May 13 for the Vijay government, 25 of the 47 AIADMK legislators, led by former ministers C. Ve. Shanmugam, S.P. Velumani and C. Vijayabhaskar, voted in favour of the government, triggering a split in the party. The following day, a petition seeking their disqualification for violating the party whip was filed before Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar.
Soon after submitting their resignation letters to the Speaker, the trio met TVK general secretary and minister Aadhav Arjuna and were formally inducted into the TVK. Within an hour, the Speaker informed the media that he had accepted the resignations of Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantagam), S. Jayakumar (Perundurai) and P. Sathyabama (Dharapuram), stating that the resignations complied with procedural requirements.
“As per rules, handwritten resignation letters must be submitted in person, and I have accepted them,” he said.
This is the first time Tamil Nadu has witnessed legislators resigning to escape disqualification under the Anti-Defection Act. Earlier resignations were primarily aimed at facilitating a Chief Minister’s entry into the Assembly, as seen in the case of Jayalalithaa, who contested the Andipatti bypoll in 2002 after being unseated by the Supreme Court in the TANSI land deal case in September 2001. Later, in 2015, she contested the R.K. Nagar byelection after the sitting MLA vacated the seat.
The three former AIADMK legislators are now expected to contest the bypolls on TVK tickets. In addition, Trichy East will also go to a byelection after Vijay vacated the seat, choosing to retain Perambur. Political analysts believe TVK is keen on strengthening its numbers in the Assembly, despite the VCK and IUML joining the government and the Left parties extending outside support.
The induction of the trio into the TVK has unsettled the rebel camp. The rebels’ strength has now effectively come down to 17, with three joining TVK and five others returning to the AIADMK after submitting written apologies to EPS. With hopes of entering the Vijay ministry fading and their influence diminishing, reports suggest many rebels are reconsidering their stand and may seek re-entry into the parent party. EPS, sources say, is open to readmitting them.
“Like a parent accepting a prodigal son, EPS is likely to take them back. We are a family, and issues can be resolved amicably,” said former minister and senior AIADMK leader Rajenthra Bhalaji.
The AIADMK, meanwhile, accused the TVK of indulging in horse-trading.
“It is 100 percent horse-trading. Even before their resignations were accepted, the three legislators met minister Aadhav Arjuna and were inducted into the party in lightning speed. This clearly shows blatant horse-trading,” AIADMK leader I.S. Inbadurai alleged in a post on X.