As more AIADMK ex-ministers join Vijay’s TVK, spotlight on how EPS-Velumani patch-up crumbled – ThePrint – Select

Chennai: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was dealt yet another blow Thursday as four former ministers, several former MLAs, senior leaders and hundreds of cadres formally joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), further eroding the organisational strength of the party now led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS).

The four former state ministers who joined the TVK are C. Vijayabaskar, M.R. Vijayabhaskar, M.S.M. Anandan and S. Valarmathi.

E.M. Manraj from Srivilliputhur, M.S.R. Rajavarman from Sattur, S.V. Thirugnana Sambandam from Peravurani, S. Sundararajan from Sankari, M.S.M. Ramachandran from Ilaiyangudi were among former AIADMK MLAs who joined the ruling TVK. Among others who joined the CM Vijay-led party was Pudukkottai South district secretary Vairamuthu.

Theswitch to TVK has raised serious questions about EPS’s ability to hold the AIADMK together after its poor performance in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Since the post-poll “reconciliation”, at least 16 former ministers, 300 district functionaries and over 1,000 cadres have quit the AIADMK, with many crossing over to the ruling TVK.

Reacting to the latest developments, the AIADMK in a statement Thursday criticised those who jumped ship for betraying the ideals of MGR and Jayalalithaa after enjoying ministerial and organisational privileges. It said that these leaders acted in ‘self-interest’ and termed the 47 seats the party secured in the 2026 elections as a foundation for revival. It also called on remaining cadres to stay united and dismissed ‘defectors’ as short-sighted.

“Those who held high positions and enjoyed benefits in the party are now leaving and criticising the leadership that gave them everything. This is purely driven by self-interest. True party workers who understand the history and ideology will remain steadfast and work to strengthen the organisation,” the statement said. The AIADMK in its statement went further to say that history will record who are the ‘real traitors’ and ‘genuine fighters’.  

“We call upon all loyal cadres to ignore these temporary setbacks and move forward unitedly,” it added.

Meanwhile, TVK leader K.A. Sengottaiyan said EPS betrayed AIADMK workers and tried to join hands with arch political rival DMK. “The leaders from AIADMK have now come to the right party after becoming clueless with the present AIADMK leadership since it was functioning like a ‘corporate firm’ rather than a political organisation,” he said.

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Also Read: How Vijay is trying to build a standalone majority for TVK in Tamil Nadu assembly

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Internal dissent in AIADMK 

The ‘patch-up’ between the factions led by EPS and Velumani, which saw mutual disqualification complaints before the Speaker withdrawn, was intended to project unity after a vertical split in the legislature party during the trust vote in May.

The previous day, former ministers Velumani, P. Thangamani, and K.P. Anbalagan in a letter to EPS had declined party positions offered to them, saying the AIADMK leadership did not honour agreements reached during the truce.

Earlier, AIADMK leaders who exited the party accused EPS of taking decisions solely based on self-interest.

For instance, former MLA R. Nataraj, who joined TVK last month, told ThePrint that the party had been restricted to a “Gounder party” rather than a Dravidian major that had a stronghold in several regions across Tamil Nadu. “When we see that the future of the party is not bright, leaders look for other opportunities. The responsibility to strengthen the party further was in the hands of the leadership even as structural changes for party functioning was required. However, no such attempts were made,” he said.

Another former minister, S. Semmalai, who had cited “immense mental anguish” over post-election developments and said the party’s strength had diminished compared to MGR and Jayalalithaa eras, also alleged that there was a lack of recognition for their contributions and workers were not rewarded for their efforts.

Political analysts ThePrint spoke to said unlike MGR and Jayalalithaa, EPS lacks a charismatic personality. This, coupled with allegations of dynastic politics and failure to rebuild alliances or regional bases, has compounded the crisis, they added.

EPS is not a mass leader and he has not risen above his regional presence, said political analyst Arun Kumar. “It is important for the leaders to further strengthen the party with enrollment of young cadres, campaigning beyond regional strongholds and encouraging new power structures. However, EPS seems to have failed at this, which has led to internal rifts and he is not able to hold the party together anymore.”

Political observers also said TVK’s growing popularity has put the AIADMK at a major disadvantage since it has pushed the EPS-led party to third position in terms of popular support in Tamil Nadu.

“It is not that AIADMK is lacking something, it does not have ruling status anymore. When a party is out of power, defections are inevitable. TVK sees this as its biggest opportunity,” said political analyst Ramu Manivannan.

DMK MP Kanimozhi, too, criticised the induction of former AIADMK leaders into TVK by likening it to “washing machine” politics—a tag levelled against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by political adversaries.

Political analysts also pointed out that the ruling TVK is inducting AIADMK leaders like C. Vijaybaskar who were at one point accused of corruption. “It exposes a double standard, while Vijay says he wants to present a clean government, yet he is purchasing members left and right. The ruling party is openly engaged in horse-trading, making political expediency the driving force behind these defections,” said Manivannan.

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)

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Also Read: After MGR & Jayalalithaa, AIADMK pieced itself back together. This time, the cracks are deeper

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