AIADMK faction led by Velumani, Shanmugam extends support to Vijay-led TVK govt

Chennai: Amid an intensifying power struggle within the AIADMK, a faction led by senior leaders S P Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam on Tuesday announced support for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government headed by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.

Speaking to reporters, Shanmugam said the faction would meet Vijay later in the day to hand over a formal letter extending support to the government. He also launched a sharp attack on AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, alleging that he had wanted to form a government with the support of the DMK.

“We opposed Palaniswami’s move because the AIADMK was formed to defeat the DMK,” Shanmugam said, while also demanding that Palaniswami immediately convene the party’s general council meeting.

The announcement comes a day after the rift within the AIADMK became public during the opening session of the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, with party MLAs splitting into two camps backing Palaniswami and Velumani respectively for the post of legislature party leader.

A group of AIADMK MLAs led by Shanmugam submitted a letter to Pro-tem Speaker M V Karuppaiah seeking recognition for Velumani as the AIADMK legislature party leader. Another faction, led by former minister N Thalavai Sundaram, urged the Speaker to declare Palaniswami as the floor leader.

The divisions were also visible inside the Assembly, with MLAs arriving in two separate groups led by Velumani and Palaniswami. Sources within the party said the Palaniswami camp currently has the support of 17 MLAs, while around 30 legislators are backing Velumani.

The internal conflict reportedly centres on the AIADMK’s stand towards the newly formed TVK government. While one faction strongly opposed any support to the Vijay-led administration, another group advocated extending outside support.

The rebellion against Palaniswami gathered momentum after the AIADMK’s disappointing performance in the Assembly elections. Contesting 167 of the 234 seats, the party managed to win only 47.

Some rebel MLAs have openly demanded that Palaniswami step down, holding him responsible for the party’s continued electoral setbacks. The tensions became evident soon after the election results, when Velumani, Shanmugam and their supporters skipped meetings convened by Palaniswami.

Former AIADMK leader K C Palanisamy said there was a “clear split” within the party and warned that more MLAs could extend support to the TVK if Palaniswami continued as leader.

“There is a strong demand for leadership change within the party,” he said, adding that Palaniswami should voluntarily step down to help reunite the AIADMK ahead of future elections.

Political analyst Sathyalaya Ramakrishnan, however, said the party still had time to resolve its differences through dialogue. He noted that AIADMK MLAs were still seated together in the Assembly and urged senior leaders to prevent a formal split.

The crisis comes at a difficult phase for the AIADMK, which has suffered a string of electoral defeats in recent years, including the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the 2021 Assembly election, the 2024 parliamentary election and the 2025 Erode bypoll.