A faction of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Tuesday announced support for the newly formed Tamil Nadu government led by actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam ahead of a floor test in the Assembly, ANI reported.
The faction is led by former ministers CV Shanmugam and SP Velumani.
In the Assembly elections, the AIADMK won 47 seats out of the 167 constituencies it contested.
The TVK, meanwhile, emerged as the single-largest party on its electoral debut, winning 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly. However, it fell short of the majority mark of 118 and required the support of smaller parties to form the government. Vijay took oath as chief minister on Sunday. Governor Rajendra Arlekar has directed Vijay to seek a vote of confidence in the Assembly by Wednesday.
After the results were declared, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had reportedly held meetings with MLAs to discuss the party’s course of action.
However, differences emerged within the party about whether it should support the TVK government. According to The Indian Express, at least 30 MLAs demanded that Palaniswami step down, holding him responsible for the party’s electoral performance.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Shanmugam said that the decision to support the TVK government had been taken after “accepting the verdict of the people”, The Hindu reported.
He claimed that Palaniswami had attempted to form a government with the support of the rival Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam after the election results.
“This was a shock to us,” The Hindu quoted Shanmugam as saying. He added that the AIADMK had been founded in opposition to the DMK and that any move to collaborate with the party would weaken the AIADMK.
Shanmugam announced that Velumani had been elected leader of the AIADMK Legislature Party, while G Hari had been appointed deputy leader.
Shanmugam and Velumani also said that the reasons behind the AIADMK’s recent electoral setbacks needed to be reviewed. They said that the party should have performed better in the 2021 and 2026 Assembly elections as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“We have requested the general secretary to convene a meeting of the general council as early as possible,” The Hindu quoted Shanmugam as saying. He added that the party was “no longer in any pre-poll alliance”.
Velumani dismissed speculation that the faction’s move would result in a split within the party adding “we are concerned about the AIADMK”, ANI reported.
Edited by Tanya Shrivastava
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