The AIADMK on Saturday suffered a double whammy as several former MLAs of the party, including ministers joined Chief Minister Vijay’s TVK and MK Stalin’s DMK. Four of its former ministers and ex-MLAs joined the ruling TVK.
Udumalai K Radhakrishnan, M C Sampath, Kadambur C Raju and N R Sivapathi are among the leaders who switched sides. They joined TVK at the party headquarters in in the presence of General Secretary Anand and General Secretary for Election Campaign Management Aadhav Arjuna.
Out of the MLAs who switched sides from AIADMK to TVK, Udumalai K Radhakrishnan lost the election from the Udumalpet Assembly constituency. M C Sampath finished third in the Cuddalore constituency, while Kadambur Raju was defeated in Kovilpatti.
| | AIADMK leaders Kadambur Raju, Udumalai K Radhakrishnan, MC Sampath and others arrive at the TVK HQ in Chennai’s Panaiyur. They are expected to join TVK shortly.
— ANI (@ANI)
Since its poor performance in the April 23 elections, the AIADMK has faced a series of setbacks. Soon after the defeat in the Assembly elections, a group of 25 rebel MLAs from the party backed a confidence motion moved by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in the Assembly going against the party’s instruction to vote against it.
Earlier, four of those rebel and joined TVK before the group eventually reconciled with party General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. Since then, several AIADMK leaders and workers have left the party and joined TVK.
The decision of four former AIADMK ministers to quit the party and join TVK is the latest sign of this continuing trend.
On May 29, more than 300 AIADMK members joined TVK at the party’s headquarters in Panaiyur, Chennai. Those who switched sides included former AIADMK ministers Vellamandi Natarajan and Anandan, as well as former MLAs Natraj and Sadhan Prabhakar.
K A Sengottaiyan was the first major AIADMK leader to leave the party and join TVK. He had openly supported Vijay and stood by him well before the elections.
Another set of former AIADMK MLAs joined the DMK in Chennai in the presence of DMK president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
DMK president and former Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin says, “I warmly welcome all of you who have chosen to join the DMK. You have come to Anna Arivalayam and are seated in Kalaignar Arangam, and I once again extend my heartfelt welcome to all of you who have arrived here with that…
— ANI (@ANI)
Stalin said the DMK has a long history of political success, having completed 77 years and formed the government six times. He pointed out that people usually join a ruling party in the hope of getting positions or other benefits. However, he said these leaders had chosen to join the DMK even though it is currently in the Opposition.
