Three AIADMK MLAs Resign, Join CM Vijay's TVK in Tamil Nadu

In a significant political development that further reshapes Tamil Nadu's political landscape, three sitting Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) resigned from their posts in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and officially joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Monday, May 25, 2026. The MLAs who tendered their resignations to Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar are Maragatham Kumaravel, representing the Madurantakam constituency; S. Jayakumar, from the Perundurai constituency; and P. Sathyabama, elected from the Dharapuram constituency. Following the acceptance of their resignations by the Speaker, the three former AIADMK legislators promptly met Public Works Department Minister Aadhav Arjuna at the Secretariat and formally became members of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. This defection marks a fresh setback for the AIADMK, an opposition party already grappling with severe internal divisions and a diminished presence in the state's political arena. The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), a regional political party founded on February 2, 2024, by actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay, emerged as a major force in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election. Under Vijay's leadership, TVK secured 108 seats, becoming the single largest party, though it fell short of the 118-seat majority required to form a government independently. Subsequently, TVK formed an alliance (TVK+) and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay assumed office, dramatically altering the state's long-standing political dynamics. The party's core ideological principles are rooted in egalitarianism, secularism, and social justice. For the AIADMK, these resignations deepen an existing crisis. Once a dominant force in Tamil Nadu politics under leaders like M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa, the party has struggled with internal strife since Jayalalithaa's demise in 2016. In the 2026 Assembly elections, the AIADMK secured only 47 seats, emerging as the third-largest party behind TVK and DMK. The party has since been fractured into warring factions, primarily one led by General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) and another associated with former ministers C. Ve. Shanmugam and S.P. Velumani. The three defecting MLAs – Maragatham Kumaravel, S. Jayakumar, and P. Sathyabama – were notably part of the C. Ve. Shanmugam-S.P. Velumani faction. Their allegiance had previously been a point of contention within the AIADMK, as they were among the approximately 25 AIADMK legislators who defied the party whip and voted in favour of the TVK government during a crucial confidence motion held on May 13, 2026. This act of cross-voting had exposed the deep fissures within the opposition ranks and signaled growing discontent with the AIADMK's leadership and strategies. The resignations are widely seen as a pre-emptive measure by these MLAs to avoid potential disqualification under the anti-defection law, which applies to legislators who defy their party's whip on crucial votes. By resigning, they negate the possibility of being disqualified, potentially allowing them to seek re-election on a TVK ticket in subsequent by-polls. AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami condemned the defections, terming it "vulgar politics" and "horse trading" introduced by the ruling TVK. He stated that any attempts to defeat and replace the AIADMK would remain a dream. Furthermore, the EPS faction has reportedly urged Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar to initiate anti-defection proceedings against the 25 MLAs who voted against the party whip during the confidence motion. With these resignations, the AIADMK's strength in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has further reduced from 47 to 44. This development not only weakens the party's legislative presence but also intensifies the internal power struggle, particularly within the Shanmugam-Velumani camp, which has now seen some of its supporters shift allegiance. Compounding the crisis for this faction, five other legislators who previously supported them have reportedly switched their support back to the Edappadi K. Palaniswami camp. The immediate consequence of these resignations is the triggering of by-elections. Three new vacancies have been created by the departure of Kumaravel, Jayakumar, and Sathyabama. These will be held alongside the by-election for the Tiruchirappalli East constituency, which became vacant after Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay resigned from one of his two elected seats. The Election Commission is now expected to notify by-elections for these four Assembly constituencies simultaneously, making them a crucial test of public sentiment and the evolving political equations in Tamil Nadu. The continuous defections and internal rebellions underscore the ongoing churn in Tamil Nadu politics following the recent elections and the emergence of TVK as a significant power player.

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