•Three AIADMK MLAs resign and join the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, prompting allegations of horse-trading from the DMK and AIADMK.
•The development has reduced the AIADMK's strength in the 234-member Assembly from 47 to 44.
•The TVK government has denied allegations of horse-trading, terming the development a "pre-planned conspiracy."
•AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has accused the TVK government of orchestrating the defections and inducting the three MLAs into their party within the premises of the Secretariat itself.
•The DMK has reacted strongly to the development, with party chief M K Stalin accusing the TVK government of orchestrating defections and terming the developments "horse-trading."
•The resignations of the three MLAs have led to the cancellation of the TVK government's victory in the Tiruchirappalli East constituency, with by-elections to be held in four Assembly constituencies.
Tamil Nadu politics witnessed a significant turn of events on Monday as three MLAs from the rebel faction of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) resigned and are expected to join the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party. The development has triggered a political storm, with both the DMK and AIADMK accusing the TVK government of "horse-trading." The three MLAs, P Sathyabama, Maragatham Kumaravel, and S Jayakumar, who were part of the 25 legislators from the Shanmugam-Velumani camp that supported the TVK government during the May 13 confidence vote, submitted their resignations to the Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar.
The resignation of the three MLAs has reduced the AIADMK's strength in the 234-member Assembly from 47 to 44. The development comes weeks after the AIADMK suffered a setback in the April 23 polls, its fourth major defeat since 2019. The internal split within the AIADMK has been ongoing, with the party's MLAs divided into two factions - one backing party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and the other aligned with the Shanmugam-Velumani group. The two camps had taken opposing positions during the confidence vote of the TVK government, with the Palaniswami faction voting against it, while the 25-member group supported the C. Joseph Vijay-led administration.
The TVK government, led by C Joseph Vijay, has denied allegations of horse-trading, with the party's leaders terming the development a "pre-planned conspiracy." AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has accused the TVK government of orchestrating the defections and inducting the three MLAs into their party within the premises of the Secretariat itself. Palaniswami has also alleged that the resignations and induction into TVK were carried out in coordination inside the Secretariat, with the Speaker accepting the resignation letters on the ground floor and the minister handing over membership cards on the first floor. The AIADMK leader has termed the episode a "pre-planned conspiracy" and a "horse-trading."
The DMK has also reacted strongly to the development, with party chief M K Stalin accusing the TVK government of orchestrating defections and terming the developments "horse-trading." Stalin has alleged that the TVK government first sought support from alliance partners, then negotiated with sections of the AIADMK during the floor test, and finally "orchestrated the resignations of certain AIADMK members and inducted them into their own party - right within the premises of the Secretariat itself." The DMK leader has also targeted the Congress for backing the TVK government, calling its opposition to the BJP "hypocrisy."
The resignations of the three MLAs have also led to the cancellation of the TVK government's victory in the Tiruchirappalli East constituency, with by-elections to be held in four Assembly constituencies, including Madurantakam, Dharapuram, and Perundurai. The development has come within 21 days of the declaration of Assembly election results, marking a major jolt for the AIADMK. The party's internal divisions have been ongoing, with the five MLAs from the Shanmugam-Velumani camp returning to the Palaniswami camp on Monday, raising the number of MLAs backing EPS to 27.
The Speaker of the Assembly, JCD Prabhakar, has maintained that his role was limited to verifying whether the resignation letters complied with Assembly rules. "I can only examine whether the submitted letters comply with the rules or not. I cannot comment on what happens outside," he said in response to allegations of horse-trading. The development has sparked a debate on the role of the government Secretariat in facilitating political defections, with DMK MP P Wilson criticizing the TVK government for allowing the Secretariat to become a venue for political defections.
