AIADMK rift? Over two-thirds of MLAs extend support to Vijay as TVK nears power in Tamil Nadu: What next

In a surprising turn of Tamil Nadu politics, more than two-thirds of AIADMK MLAs assemble at Rajya Sabha leader CV Shanmugam’s office in Chennai to extend support to Thalapathy Vijay, indicating a rift in the party. These two-thirds MLAs consist of nearly 35 members who reached the AIADMK leader’s office in Chennai.

Reportedly, these MLAs have urged AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami to consider an alliance with TVK, which fell short of a majority by 10 seats. AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan stated that the party’s leadership will decide on any tie-up with TVK and dismissed speculation of an internal split. “TVK has not invited any party. If they want stability, they should take a call. There is some momentum. We will wait and see," he said.

Meanwhile, Vijay is expected to be sworn in as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu at Chennai’s Nehru Stadium. The election result marked a major political shift in Tamil Nadu, with neither of the two parties rooted in Dravidian politics emerging as the single largest party. In its debut, TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, while the AIADMK secured 47 seats.

TVK receives support from Congress

AIADMK had contested 169 constituencies as part of the NDA alliance. The ruling DMK was decimated to just 59 seats, with the remaining seats being grabbed by smaller parties like Congress and the Left. Meanwhile, the TVK, which already received support from five Congress MLAs, has now also approached the CPI, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and some other parties to gain more seats.

After the Assembly election results, Palaniswami stated that he accepts the verdict of the people in Tamil Nadu. In a statement, he said, “I express my gratitude to all the people who rose and performed their democratic duty in the assembly elections". Stating that the people were judges here, he said, “Therefore, I wholeheartedly accept the decision given by the people".

He added, “We will soon recover from this setback." Palaniswami also thanked all the leaders of allied parties and AIADMK cadres, who worked hard for the NDA in the elections.