Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 11: Amidst the cracks surfacing in the AIADMK ranks over demands for leadership change and extending support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government headed by Joseph Vijay, the actor-turned-politician chief minister on Monday called on his predecessor and DMK chief MK Stalin at the Latter’s residence in Chennai setting off fresh political speculations across the state.
Hitherto the main opposition party for a decade and in the just-concluded elections further pushed down to the third position after the TVK and DMK after a stunning political debut by Vijay, the AIADMK is facing its worst internal crisis in years, with its legislators split over whether to back the new ruling party or stay distant.
A day after being sworn-in as the ninth chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Vijay met Stalin but neither Vijay nor his party has issued any statement. It is not known what the two leaders discussed at the meeting. Following the electoral win, this is the first time Vijay met Stalin in a courtesy call. Both MK Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin welcomed Vijay at their house in Chennai’s Alwarpet. They shook hands with Vijay and hugged him. Visuals of the meeting shared with the media showed Vijay, in a black suit, greeting the DMK chief with folded hands. Stalin returned the gesture. The party sources have termed the meeting as a courtesy call between the two leaders. The two leaders honoured each other with silk shawls and bouquet, said sources.
The meeting between the two leaders come following the acrimonious electoral battle between the DMK and the TVK. Although TVK emerged as the single largest party, it was short of numbers to form the government. However, Stalin had persuaded smaller parties to support Vijay so that a stable government is formed in Tamil Nadu, DMK spokesperson A Sarvanan said.
In the AIADMK ranks, a growing number of voices have been demanding that the party’s leader, general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) step down, over the poor performance, multiple reports noted over the past two days. The party contested 167 of 234 seats but won only 47, which meant one of its worst results since the death of founder-leader J Jayalalithaa in 2016. Its main ally, the Centre’s ruling BJP, won one seat, while the total for the alliance was just 53. The TVK emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats and has since formed the government.
In a series of post-election meetings convened by EPS, the party showed clear signs of division. One section of the AIADMK reportedly opposed offering any support to the TVK — which has formed the government as DMK’s allies including the Congress switched sides — while another favoured giving outside support to the Vijay-led administration. Outside support would mean stability for the regime but no AIADMK role or responsibility in the ministry.
The divisions became public when senior leaders CV Shanmugam and SP Velumani, both former ministers, skipped the EPS-chaired meetings along with their supporting MLAs. Party insiders said Shanmugam, Velumani and their camp were open to backing the TVK. As many as 28 AIADMK MLAs held a closed-door meeting in Chennai, formally urging EPS to extend support to the TVK government, local media has reported.
Shanmugam’s inclination towards the TVK hardened reportedly after the buzz that rival DMK was making backchannel overtures to some sections of the AIADMK to form an unprecedented alliance and keep Vijay out.
He was said to be deeply opposed to any engagement with the DMK, which pushed him further toward the TVK option. The DMK has since denied it ever was exploring an alliance with the AIADMK.
Some MLAs have gone further than demanding a policy change; they want a change of leadership altogether. Former AIADMK leader KC Palanisamy said, “There is a clear split within the party. Many MLAs want a change in leadership. If Palaniswami continues as a leader, there is a possibility of some MLAs extending support to the TVK.” He said EPS should “voluntarily step down” so the party could reunite ahead of the next election. EPS, however, has not shown any sign of stepping aside.
The AIADMK has suffered a string of electoral setbacks since Jayalalithaa’s death, and internal trouble has been building for some time. In September 2025, EPS removed veteran leader KA Sengottaiyan from all party posts after he publicly demanded the reinstatement of expelled leaders including O Panneerselvam and VK Sasikala, arguing that only a reunified party could take on the DMK. The move backfired, leading to mass resignations and open rebellion within the party.
The meeting between the two leaders come following the acrimonious electoral battle between the DMK and the TVK. Although TVK emerged as the single largest party, it was short of numbers to form the government. However, Stalin had persuaded smaller parties to support Vijay so that a stable government is formed in Tamil Nadu, DMK spokesperson A Sarvanan said.
“Congratulations to the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Vijay. He has been able to become the chief minister with the help of DMK allies. Our leader MK Stalin does not want a constitutional crisis and he persuaded allies (to join hands with the TVK) after extensive consultations,” Sarvanan claimed.
The TVK had won 108 seats, including two by Vijay, and was short of the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The Congress, with five MLAs, immediately extended support to TVK. Later, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) — all with two MLAs each — supported Vijay, making sure that he forms the government.
After Vijay’s swearing in on Sunday, Stalin had also congratulated the TVK leader but advised him not to say that the Tamil Nadu government has no money. In a long post on X, the former chief minister said Tamil Nadu’s debt remained well within the “permissible limits.” “We had clearly explained the financial position of the Tamil Nadu government in the February budget itself. Didn’t you know that? It was only after that you made so many promises to the people. Don’t deceive the people who voted for you and try to divert the issue,” he said.
“For five years, we implemented countless welfare schemes for the people despite grappling with numerous issues like COVID and floods, as well as the neglect from the Union BJP government,” Stalin had said.