In a fresh blow to the opposition AIADMK amid its continuing internal crisis after the recent Assembly election setback, three of its MLAs resigned from the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday (May 25) and joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.&nbsp;The legislators who resigned include Madurantakam representative Ms Maragadam Kumaravel, Perundurai member Jayakumar and Dharapuram representative Ms Sathyabama. The three had recently voted in favour of the Vijay-led government during the Assembly trust vote, going against the AIADMK whip and risking disqualification under the anti-defection law.&nbsp;The three MLAs met Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar at the State Secretariat and personally submitted their resignation letters. Soon after tendering their resignations, the three leaders met senior TVK leader and Public Works Department Minister Aadhav Arjuna and formally joined the ruling party.&nbsp;The resignations come amid deepening factionalism within the AIADMK following the Assembly elections, in which the party finished a distant third. The political turmoil escalated after a section of AIADMK MLAs extended support to the Vijay-led government during the trust vote held on May 13.&nbsp;The rebel faction, led by senior AIADMK leaders and former ministers S P Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam, had earlier secured the support of around 30 of the 47AIADMK legislators for the TVK government.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/nirmala-sitharaman-flags-3fs-as-key-challenge-after-pm-modi-s-austerity-appeal-amid-west-asia-crisis-1779708878146">Nirmala Sitharaman flags ‘3Fs’ as key challenge after PM Modi’s austerity appeal amid West Asia crisis</a>&nbsp;However, five rebel legislators later returned to the camp led by AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, taking his faction’s strength in the Assembly to 27, while 17 legislators continue to remain with the rebel group.&nbsp;The AIADMK leadership had approached the Speaker seeking action against the rebel MLAs under the anti-defection law, arguing that the dissident faction did not possess the required two-thirds majority needed to avoid disqualification.&nbsp;Political observers believe the three vacant seats could soon witness bypolls, with the former AIADMK legislators likely to contest on TVK tickets. There is also speculation that more rebel MLAs could either shift towards the ruling TVK or return to the Palaniswami camp in the coming weeks, further weakening the Velumani-Shanmugam faction.

The three were part of a rebel faction of 30 MLAs that voted in favour of the Vijay-led government during the Assembly trust vote, defying the AIADMK whip and risking disqualification under the anti-defection law.

In a fresh blow to the opposition AIADMK amid its continuing internal crisis after the recent Assembly election setback, three of its MLAs resigned from the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday (May 25) and joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. The legislators who resigned include Madurantakam representative Ms Maragadam Kumaravel, Perundurai member Jayakumar and Dharapuram representative Ms Sathyabama. The three had recently voted in favour of the Vijay-led government during the Assembly trust vote, going against the AIADMK whip and risking disqualification under the anti-defection law. The three MLAs met Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar at the State Secretariat and personally submitted their resignation letters. Soon after tendering their resignations, the three leaders met senior TVK leader and Public Works Department Minister Aadhav Arjuna and formally joined the ruling party. The resignations come amid deepening factionalism within the AIADMK following the Assembly elections, in which the party finished a distant third. The political turmoil escalated after a section of AIADMK MLAs extended support to the Vijay-led government during the trust vote held on May 13. The rebel faction, led by senior AIADMK leaders and former ministers S P Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam, had earlier secured the support of around 30 of the 47AIADMK legislators for the TVK government. Also Read: Nirmala Sitharaman flags ‘3Fs’ as key challenge after PM Modi’s austerity appeal amid West Asia crisis However, five rebel legislators later returned to the camp led by AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, taking his faction’s strength in the Assembly to 27, while 17 legislators continue to remain with the rebel group. The AIADMK leadership had approached the Speaker seeking action against the rebel MLAs under the anti-defection law, arguing that the dissident faction did not possess the required two-thirds majority needed to avoid disqualification. Political observers believe the three vacant seats could soon witness bypolls, with the former AIADMK legislators likely to contest on TVK tickets. There is also speculation that more rebel MLAs could either shift towards the ruling TVK or return to the Palaniswami camp in the coming weeks, further weakening the Velumani-Shanmugam faction.

The three were part of a rebel faction of 30 MLAs that voted in favour of the Vijay-led government during the Assembly trust vote, defying the AIADMK whip and risking disqualification under the anti-defection law.

AIADMK crisis deepens as three rebel legislators resign and join Vijay-led TVK

Internal rift in All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) deepened on Wednesday (May 13) as party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami removed party leaders from their posts for supporting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay. This comes after the legislature party witnessed a vertical split during the trust vote on the floor of the Assembly. While a total of 25 MLAs, including senior leaders SP Velumani, C Ve Shanmugam and C Vijayabaskar, voted in favour of the confidence motion moved by CM Vijay, 22 MLAs led by Palaniswami voted against it.Following the voting, AIADMK chief removed the rebel leaders, filling the vacant positions with new district secretaries and party functionaries. Natham Viswanathan has also been removed from the posts of AIADMK Deputy General Secretary and Dindigul East District Secretary.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Tamil Nadu | Announcement by AIADMK General Secretary Edapadi Palaniswami - Party functionaries who supported TVK have been removed from their party responsibilities. The posts of MLAs as party functionaries, including S.P. Velumani, C.V. Shanmugam, and C. Vijayabaskar have been… <a href="https://t.co/bjvnAastcR">pic.twitter.com/bjvnAastcR</a>&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/2054569668615307289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Slamming the move, Shanmugam, who was removed from the posts of Organising Secretary and Villupuram District Secretary, said, “After General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami assumed responsibility, not only have the defeats continued, but we should at least have been increasing our number of seats. Instead, with every election, our setbacks have become more severe, and we have been steadily declining.”“Today, when the General Secretary (EPS) is questioned about why we lost, he responds by asking, ‘Didn’t the AIADMK lose in 1996? Didn’t we lose in 2006 as well?’ Yes, we did lose. But Puratchi Thalaivi Amma had the capability to bring the party back to power again. After every defeat, Amma would declare that she would restore MGR’s rule once more, and she succeeded in bringing the party back to office for a second term. It was Amma (Jayalalithaa) who delivered a massive victory in the 1998 Parliamentary elections. There was neither arrogance born out of victory nor a tendency to hide away after defeat,” he added.Remembering late supremo J Jayalalithaa, Shanmugam said, “Amma’s sole objective was the success of the movement founded by MGR. She never carried the attitude that “I alone am supreme” or that everyone must come to her without question.”The move is being seen as one of the biggest disciplinary actions taken by the AIADMK leadership since internal dissent erupted in the party after the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The action came amid an open revolt within the AIADMK following the election results, with a section of party MLAs accusing EPS of diluting the party’s traditional anti-DMK position and allegedly attempting to strike an understanding with the DMK to stop Vijay from coming to power.The rebellion became evident during Vijay’s trust vote in the Assembly, when rebel AIADMK legislators backed the TVK-led government, helping it secure a majority in the 234-member House. The developments have since intensified the leadership tussle within the AIADMK, with dissenting leaders demanding organisational reforms and the return of expelled leaders to strengthen the party ahead of upcoming elections.

AIADMK’s internal rift deepened after EPS removed rebel leaders for backing CM Vijay during the trust vote, triggering a major leadership battle within the party ahead of future polls.

Internal rift in All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) deepened on Wednesday (May 13) as party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami removed party leaders from their posts for supporting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay. This comes after the legislature party witnessed a vertical split during the trust vote on the floor of the Assembly. While a total of 25 MLAs, including senior leaders SP Velumani, C Ve Shanmugam and C Vijayabaskar, voted in favour of the confidence motion moved by CM Vijay, 22 MLAs led by Palaniswami voted against it. Following the voting, AIADMK chief removed the rebel leaders, filling the vacant positions with new district secretaries and party functionaries. Natham Viswanathan has also been removed from the posts of AIADMK Deputy General Secretary and Dindigul East District Secretary.

AIADMK’s internal rift deepened after EPS removed rebel leaders for backing CM Vijay during the trust vote, triggering a major leadership battle within the party ahead of future polls.

AIADMK rift: Party chief removes 25 functionaries for backing TVK’s Vijay in Tamil Nadu

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AIADMK crisis deepens as three rebel legislators resign and join Vijay-led TVK

AIADMK rift: Party chief removes 25 functionaries for backing TVK’s Vijay