In a significant political move in Tamil Nadu, three AIADMK MLAs, namely Madurantakam MLA Maragatham Kumaravel, Dharapuram MLA Sathyabama, and Perundurai MLA Jayakumar, resigned from the Assembly on Monday and switched to the ruling TVK party. This development has sparked discussions about potential further defections and the likelihood of multiple Assembly by-elections in the state. The trio, known to be aligned with the AIADMK faction led by former ministers C.V. Shanmugam and S.P. Velumani, tendered their resignations to Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar.
The MLAs, after submitting their resignation letters, reportedly met Minister Aadhav Arjuna and officially became part of the TVK party. This move comes amidst the ongoing political transformations in Tamil Nadu post the Assembly election results, creating a dynamic and uncertain political environment in the state. The TVK, under Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, contested in 233 constituencies and initially secured 107 seats after Vijay vacated the Tiruchy East constituency.
Despite falling short of the required majority of 118 seats to form the government, the TVK sought support from parties within the DMK-led alliance. Following negotiations, the Congress aligned with the TVK and was included in the government with two ministerial positions. Additionally, other parties like the VCK and the IUML joined the TVK-led government, while the CPI and the CPI-M extended unconditional support from outside the government.
Simultaneously, approximately 25 AIADMK MLAs supporting the faction led by C.V. Shanmugam and S.P. Velumani displayed a favorable stance towards the TVK government, hinting at a potential split within the AIADMK. However, the Velumani faction was not eventually accommodated in the cabinet. Reports indicated subsequent reconciliation efforts between the faction and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami. With Vijay already vacating the Tiruchy East seat, the resignations of the three MLAs are set to raise the count of vacant Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu to four.
Political analysts are now keenly observing whether more MLAs from the Velumani-Shanmugam camp will follow a similar trajectory in the days ahead.
