Speculation is growing in Tamil Nadu’s political circles regarding the potential move of former AIADMK ministers C.V. Shanmugam and C. Vijayabaskar, among other senior leaders, to join the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) at the party’s Panaiyur headquarters on Sunday. This development comes amidst ongoing political realignments that have altered the state’s Opposition landscape post the 2026 Assembly election.
TVK emerged as the largest party in the Assembly elections, securing 107 seats but falling short of the 118-seat majority needed to independently form a government. To consolidate power, the Vijay-led party sought support from parties aligned with the DMK-led alliance.
The Congress was the first to offer support, breaking away from the DMK alliance to back the TVK government. Subsequently, the Congress was rewarded with two ministerial positions and has now also secured a Rajya Sabha seat.
The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), initially providing external support to the government, later joined the administration and were each allocated a ministerial position. The CPI(M) and CPI have continued to extend unconditional support to the government.
Tensions escalated when AMMK General Secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran accused TVK of enticing his party MLA Kamaraj through political negotiations. Ahead of the confidence vote in the Assembly, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay engaged in discussions with the AIADMK faction led by S.P. Velumani and C.V. Shanmugam, which had been operating independently within the party.
During the trust vote, all 25 MLAs from the Velumani-Shanmugam faction, along with AMMK MLA Kamaraj, supported the TVK government. Subsequently, AIADMK legislators Maragatham Kumaravel, Jayakumar, Sathyabama, and Isakki Subbiah resigned from their positions and formally joined TVK.
While some dissident AIADMK legislators returned to the party leadership under Edappadi K. Palaniswami with the guidance of S.P. Velumani, notable figures like former ministers C.V. Shanmugam and C. Vijayabaskar have remained outside, sparking speculation about their political trajectory. Although neither leader has made a public declaration, reports hinting at their potential shift to TVK have stirred fresh political discussions.
Former AIADMK minister Vellamandi Natarajan and others have already switched allegiance to the ruling party, and further defections could significantly bolster TVK’s standing in Tamil Nadu politics.
