AIADMK Rebel CV Shanmugam faction extends support to Tamil Nadu CM Vijay’s TVK

A faction of the AIADMK, led by senior leaders SP Velumani and CV Shanmugam, has extended support to Tamil Nadu’s ruling coalition headed by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), marking a significant political development in the state.

The faction leaders are also expected to meet Chief Minister Vijay later in the day, signalling a possible realignment in Tamil Nadu politics.

CV Shanmugam said the move was driven by repeated electoral setbacks faced by the AIADMK over the past decade, including recent losses to both the DMK and the newly formed TVK.

He urged AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) to convene a council meeting to discuss the party’s future direction.

“We need to revive the party and discuss its future. We urge the General Secretary to convene the council,” Shanmugam said, adding that the party had even considered an alliance with the DMK to counter Vijay’s growing influence.

However, such a move would have been unprecedented, given the decades-long rivalry between AIADMK and DMK.

Shanmugam also reminded that AIADMK was founded in opposition to the DMK and warned that any alliance with it would undermine the party’s core identity.

He further clarified that the rebel faction does not intend to split the AIADMK but believes the party must reassess its political strategy after consecutive electoral defeats.

According to him, AIADMK MLAs have adopted a resolution supporting TVK, which secured a dominant victory in the recent elections but fell short of an absolute majority.

The TVK, led by Vijay, won 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, just 10 short of the majority mark, leading to intense political negotiations involving multiple parties.

In a counter move, AIADMK leaders aligned with EPS, including KP Munusamy and Thambidurai, strongly rejected the rebel faction’s stance and reaffirmed their loyalty to the party leadership.

The party’s IT wing also criticised the dissenting group, calling them “betrayers” and defending EPS as the leader chosen by voters.

The internal conflict comes amid a broader reshaping of Tamil Nadu politics following the emergence of TVK as a dominant force, supported by multiple smaller parties that helped it cross the majority threshold in the assembly.