NEW DELHI: Following a significant loss in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, the AIADMK announced its support for Vijay’s TVK in forming the government ahead of an important floor test. AIADMK leader C.V. Shanmugam indicated that the party would move forward without any alliances, thereby ending its ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party after the elections.
Speaking to reporters, Shanmugam stated that party chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami had sought to form an alliance with the DMK to establish a government. “We founded this party against the DMK. For 53 years, our politics have been against the DMK. Given this history, a proposal for an AIADMK government with the support of the DMK was put forward. However, the majority of our members rejected and opposed it,” he explained.
Shanmugam emphasized that entering an alliance with the DMK could lead to the dissolution of the AIADMK, a scenario that many members were unwilling to accept. “We currently stand without any alliance, and our focus must now be on revitalizing and strengthening our own party. We ultimately decided to extend our support to the TVK, which emerged victorious,” he added.
This decision comes amid visible divisions within the AIADMK, particularly after a group of MLAs, including Shanmugam, requested the appointment of former minister S.P. Velumani as AIADMK legislature party leader. Reports also indicated that a few MLAs had called for Palaniswami to resign following the party’s underwhelming election performance, where the AIADMK contested 167 out of 234 constituencies but secured only 47 seats.
In response to these election results, a series of meetings convened by Palaniswami followed, although several senior leaders, including Shanmugam and Velumani, along with their supporting MLAs, opted out of these gatherings. “There is a clear split within the party. Many MLAs want a change in leadership. If Palaniswami continues as leader, there is a possibility of some MLAs extending support to the TVK,” former AIADMK leader K.C. Palanisamy was quoted as saying.
Signs of discord were evident earlier during the oath-taking ceremony of MLAs in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly, where AIADMK legislators were observed sitting in separate groups, further underscoring the party’s internal strife.
