Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 12: The Tamil Nadu chief minister Joseph Vijay is almost certain to pass the floor test on Wednesday comfortably with a group of 30 AIADMK legislators led by senior leaders SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam declaring their support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) ministry on Tuesday heralding a split in the party that has been relegated to the third place in the 234-member State Assembly.
The AIADMK rebel camp has questioned party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami’s leadership following the party’s debacle in the April 23 assembly polls, where it won only 47 out of the 164 seats it contested.
Speaking to reporters, Shanmugam said they would meet Vijay to provide a letter supporting his government. He also alleged that party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami wanted to form a government with the DMK’s support, though both the DMK and AIADMK have denied of having initiated any such move.
Vijay visited the residence of C Ve Shanmugam and met the rebel leaders hours after the faction extended its support to his TVK. Pointing out that the AIADMK was floated to oppose and “uproot” the DMK, Shanmugam said all the party members opposed Palaniswami’s proposal to form a government with the support of the MK Stalin-led party. He added that any such proposal contradicted the AIADMK’s fundamental principles.
The party needs a “new life now,” and the “Amma (Jayalalithaa) rule” should return, and therefore, he added, they should support TVK. The AIADMK leadership, however, dismissed the allegations as “rumours” and accused the dissident leaders of “unleashing a bag of lies” after failing to secure victories in their own districts.
In a post on X, the party also alleged that Velumani, Shanmugam and C Vijayabaskar were themselves seeking ministerial berths in the TVK government. It asserted that alliance decisions could not be taken by a handful of MLAs and maintained that party cadre remained firmly behind Palaniswami.
The rumblings in the MGR-founded AIADMK revived memories of the internal power struggles that followed the deaths of founder M G Ramachandran in 1987 and then chief minister J Jayalalithaa in 2016. DMK also dismissed Shanmugam’s claims of post-poll alliance talks between the two parties, accusing him of trying to create a “split” within his own party.
TVK, which emerged with 108 seats in its electoral debut, has been seeking support from smaller parties and independents to cross the majority mark of 118 seats. Congress, CPI and CPI(M) had already extended support to the Vijay-led party reaching the figure to 120.
In another development, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran today expelled party MLA S Kamaraj from the primary membership of the party and removed him from all party responsibilities with immediate effect after he extended support to the Vijay government.
Earlier in the day, Shanmugam announced that his faction was severing ties with the NDA alliance. Soon after, the rebel group reportedly submitted a letter to the pro-tem Speaker demanding that Velumani be recognised as the leader of the AIADMK legislative party. The move triggered a fresh power struggle inside the AIADMK. Mr Palaniswami has also written to the Assembly Secretariat, claiming that he remains the legitimate leader of the party’s MLAs. The decision on rival claims will now rest with newly elected Speaker JCD Prabhakar, who is expected to take a call on the matter before the floor test.
The latest development comes as the AIADMK is already facing internal divisions following its poor performance in the Assembly elections. Differences within the party became visible after Velumani and Shanmugam publicly supported the idea of backing Vijay’s TVK during uncertainty over government formation. Their stand reportedly did not go down well with Palaniswami, leading to signs of a growing power struggle within the party.
The situation has now fuelled talk of a possible split between the Palaniswami camp and leaders supporting closer ties with the TVK. AIADMK’s disappointing showing in the 2026 Assembly elections has added to the pressure on Palaniswami’s leadership after it could secure only 47 seats.
Several leaders and former ministers have reportedly questioned his leadership style and demanded change at the top. Sources claim some senior leaders even skipped a recent meeting chaired by Palaniswami, further adding to speculation about discontent in the party ranks.
Former AIADMK leader KC Palanisamy said many MLAs want a leadership change and warned that some legislators could support the TVK if the current leadership crisis continues. Rumours of division gained more attention on Monday when newly elected AIADMK MLAs arrived at the Tamil Nadu Assembly in two separate groups.
One faction was seen with Palaniswami and senior leaders KP Munusamy and Thalavai N Sundaram, while another group included Velumani and Dr C Vijayabaskar. The separate appearances immediately sparked political chatter about camps forming inside the party ahead of the floor test.
Despite growing speculation, AIADMK leaders have denied reports of internal conflict. Party MLA Esakki Subaya insisted that the party remains united and dismissed claims of dissatisfaction among MLAs. He said no one could break the AIADMK and urged people not to read too much into recent developments.
Later in the day, Chief Minister Vijay who continued to call on leader from various political parties for the second day, visited the residence-office of Mr Shanmugam and met the other AIADMK MLAs in the rebel camp. Mr Vijay also visited the party offices of Congress and Indian Union Muslim League.
