Just weeks after the formation of the government in Tamil Nadu, the ruling TVK has triggered a major political controversy after three AIADMK MLAs resigned from the Assembly today (May 25) and joined Chief Minister Vijay’s party, fuelling allegations of “horse trading”, political poaching and attempts to engineer a stable majority through defections.
Three AIADMK MLAs, said to be supporters of the rebel faction led by C Ve Shanmugam and SP Velumani, joined the ruling TVK even before the ink on their resignation letters had dried. Though the episode appeared sudden and dramatic, the speed and coordination behind the move indicated extensive political groundwork in the background.
The MLAs — Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantakam), S. Jayakumar (Perundurai), and P. Sathyabama (Dharapuram) — officially resigned from the Assembly, reducing AIADMK’s strength from 47 to 44 seats. Speaker JCD Prabakaran later confirmed that the resignations had been accepted.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu | Three AIADMK MLAs, Maragatham Kumaravel, Sathyabama, and Jayakumar, met Minister Aadhav Arjuna
They tendered their resignation to Assembly Speaker JCD Prabakaran earlier today.
(By-elections will be held for these three constituencies along with Tiruchi… pic.twitter.com/bBQN0QZ4RL
— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2026
Soon after resigning, the trio met Public Works Department Minister Aadhav Arjuna at the Secretariat and formally joined Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). AIADMK leaders accused the ruling party of turning the Secretariat into a “party office” and alleged that the entire episode exposed a “pre-planned drama” and political “horse trading”.
The controversy intensified on social media, where several commentators questioned TVK’s claims of “clean politics”. One netizen remarked that a party claiming to represent “Thooya Sakthi” (pure energy) was inducting defectors within weeks of forming the government and questioned why party inductions were taking place inside the Secretariat instead of at the party office.
Reacting sharply, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) said the party had survived many “betrayals” and accused TVK of introducing “vulgar politics” and “underhand dealings” into Tamil Nadu politics. He said attempts to politically eliminate AIADMK would fail and described the developments as a “shame” for a government that had promised purity in politics.
AIADMK also expelled party functionary Thaiyur S. Kumaravel from all positions, including primary membership, alleging that his activities had violated party discipline and brought disrepute to the organisation.
AMMK founder T.T.V. Dhinakaran meanwhile claimed that his earlier warnings about political “horse trading” before the government formation were now proving correct.
The latest defections come amid an ongoing split within AIADMK after the Assembly election defeat. The Shanmugam–Velumani faction had earlier backed the TVK government during a no-confidence motion, while the EPS camp opposed it. Internal reconciliation attempts were underway, but disappointment reportedly grew within the rebel camp after expectations of ministerial berths in Vijay’s government did not materialise.
At the same time, five MLAs previously aligned with the Shanmugam camp shifted their support back to EPS, strengthening his camp in the Assembly. However, political observers believe more legislators from the rebel faction could still move towards TVK in the coming weeks.
Sources alleged that Minister Aadhav Arjuna and his mother-in-law, an AIADMK MLA linked to the Martin Lottery family, were among those behind the political manoeuvring.
Several political commentators indicated that the resignations could be only the beginning of a larger strategy by TVK to secure an independent majority. Major (Retd) Madan Kumar wrote on X that TVK appeared to be moving towards its “own majority”, potentially making its allies politically irrelevant in the long term.
Reports suggest more AIADMK MLAs may join TVK before the upcoming by-elections in the three vacated constituencies and Trichy East, the seat vacated by Chief Minister Vijay after retaining Perambur.
In the present 230-member effective strength of the Assembly, TVK holds 107 seats with outside support from Congress, Left parties, VCK, IUML and an Independent MLA. If TVK wins the upcoming by-polls, its tally could rise to 111, bringing the party significantly closer to an absolute majority on its own.
Senior journalist B. Kolappan observed that TVK appeared to be strategically positioning itself so that it would no longer depend on allies such as the Left and VCK for survival, and that the resignations of the three AIADMK MLAs sent a clear political message about the party’s long-term plans.
