AIADMK Rebel MLAs Back Vijay-Led TVK Govt, Reject ‘DMK Tie-Up’ Plan Linked To EPS

AIADMK rebels led by C Ve Shanmugam and SP Velumani back Vijay’s TVK government, citing opposition to a DMK alliance.

In a major political setback for the AIADMK leadership, a rebel faction led by senior leaders C. Ve. Shanmugam and S. P. Velumani on Tuesday announced support for the newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government headed by Chief Minister Vijay. The dramatic announcement signals a deepening split within the AIADMK following the party’s poor performance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and growing internal dissatisfaction over the leadership’s political direction.

Rebel Leaders Oppose Reported DMK Support Plan

Addressing reporters in Chennai, Shanmugam said the dissident camp decided to back TVK after internal consultations with party legislators following the election results. According to him, discussions within the party included a proposal that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) could become chief minister with the support of the DMK, a suggestion the rebel faction strongly opposed.

Shanmugam stated that they had been asked to accept the decision, but they opposed it. He mentioned that they believed it was wrong and had expressed this view, though their objections were not accepted.

He argued that such a move would go against the ideological roots of the AIADMK, which was founded by M. G. Ramachandran in opposition to the DMK and later expanded under former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

He emphasized that the movement had originally been formed in opposition to the DMK, and that the idea of supporting the DMK had come as a great shock. He added that they had not accepted it.

Rebels Say People Backed Vijay and TVK

Rejecting any understanding with the DMK, the rebel faction announced that it would instead honour the electoral mandate delivered by voters in favour of Vijay’s TVK. Shanmugam declared that the people of Tamil Nadu had delivered their verdict in favor of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and its leader Vijay as chief minister, and he affirmed that the AIADMK accepted this outcome.

He added that the dissident group had passed an official resolution extending support to the TVK government.

The move comes at a crucial moment in Tamil Nadu politics, with Vijay’s government still consolidating support following the closely watched Assembly elections.

AIADMK Faces Deepening Internal Crisis

The AIADMK suffered a severe electoral setback in the April 23 polls, managing to win only 47 seats in the 234-member Assembly. The party’s declining electoral fortunes have become increasingly evident over the past several years.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, the AIADMK secured 75 seats, while its performance in national elections was even weaker — winning just one Lok Sabha seat in 2019 and drawing a blank in the 2024 parliamentary polls.

Shanmugam claimed that nearly 30 AIADMK MLAs had become unhappy over reports of a possible understanding with the DMK and EPS’s alleged ambition to lead such an arrangement.

With around 30 legislators now backing the rebel camp’s decision to support TVK, only 17 MLAs are said to remain firmly aligned with EPS.

In another significant development, the dissident bloc elected S. P. Velumani as Leader of the AIADMK Legislature Party and G. Hari as Deputy Leader, indicating that the faction is attempting to establish itself as an organised power centre within the party.

The latest developments mark a major political realignment in Tamil Nadu, with the AIADMK now facing one of the most serious internal fractures in its recent history.