Agencies | Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday met a group of rebel AIADMK legislators who have extended support to his government ahead of the upcoming floor test in the State Assembly.
Vijay visited the residence of C. V. Shanmugam, who is leading a faction of AIADMK MLAs that has broken away from party chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami. The meeting comes days after Vijay, who leads the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, took oath as Chief Minister on Sunday and began consultations with various political stakeholders.
The Shanmugam-led group has accused Palaniswami of considering an alliance with the DMK and questioned his leadership following the party’s poor performance in the April 23 Assembly elections, where AIADMK won only 47 of the 164 seats it contested.
Around 30 MLAs are believed to be part of the rebel camp, though the faction remains short of the two-thirds strength required to formally avoid anti-defection provisions in case of a split.
On Monday, nearly 30 MLAs from the Shanmugam camp submitted a petition to the Protem Speaker seeking recognition of S. P. Velumani as the leader of the Legislature Party, while 17 MLAs continued to support Palaniswami in a separate representation.
Shanmugam, meanwhile, claimed that a section of the party opposed any understanding with the DMK and insisted that AIADMK needed a “new direction” aligned with the legacy of J. Jayalalithaa. He also said the group was inclined to support the Vijay-led government.
However, the AIADMK leadership dismissed the claims as baseless, alleging that the rebel leaders were spreading misinformation after electoral setbacks. The party asserted that organisational unity remained intact under Palaniswami’s leadership and accused the dissidents of attempting to secure political advantage.
The DMK also rejected claims of any post-poll understanding between the two parties, calling them politically motivated attempts to create confusion within AIADMK ranks.
As the political situation continues to evolve, attention is now focused on the upcoming floor test, which is expected to determine the stability of the new government.
