Former AIADMK ministers, ex-MLAs and district leaders joined Chief Minister Vijay's TVK in Mahabalipuram, while DMK MP Kanimozhi mocked the political defections with her "washing machine" remark.
Dissidence rocks the Opposition AIADMK yet again with senior leader C. Ve. Shanmugam, who led the previous revolt, accusing party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) of dynastic politics by promoting his son as the heir apparent and allowing his family to maintain an iron grip over the organisation.
Months after differences over electoral strategy surfaced, former BJP state chief K. Annamalai has launched a new political outfit and pledged to build a people-centric alternative in Tamil Nadu.
The induction of former ministers, ex-MLAs and party functionaries is being projected by TVK as a sign of its growing organisational reach across Tamil Nadu.
Ever since three rebel AIADMK legislators resigned and defected to Chief Minister Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the principal Opposition DMK and the AIADMK, along with others, have attacked the ruling party, accusing it of blatant horse trading to shore up its majority in the Assembly.
Rattled by persistent speculation that he was instrumental in the attempt to prop up a coalition government of traditional rivals, DMK and AIADMK, to deny the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) of Vijay, which emerged as the single largest party, a shot at power, superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday clarified that he was not so cheap to indulge in such a move.
Senior AIADMK leaders have begun mobilising support against EPS, with rebels exploring party rules to trigger a major leadership confrontation after the 2026 poll setback.
Apprehensive of losing the membership of the House following voting in favour of the confidence motion of Chief Minister and TVK president Joseph Vijay, in violation of the party whip, the AIADMK rebels on Friday pleaded party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) to call them for a dialogue to settle the differences.
The AIADMK’s internal divide came into the open after CV Shanmugam announced support for the Vijay-led government and ruled out any alliance with the DMK.
The crisis unfolded during the Assembly proceedings on Monday after both Palaniswami and Velumani separately approached Pro-tem Speaker Karuppiah, each claiming to command the support of the majority of AIADMK MLAs and asserting their right to lead the party in the Assembly.
