Former MP P. Venugopal quits AIADMK

P. Venugopal. File | Photo credit: R. Ragu

Former MP P. Venugopal, who was twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Tiruvallur constituency, quit the AIADMK on Sunday (May 24, 2026). Mr. Venugopal has held key positions in the party in the medical wing since its inception and has also served as the leader of the AIADMK parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha.

In a press release on May 18, Mr. Venugopal said various “political and social factors” were behind the setbacks faced by the AIADMK. Since the death of former chief minister Jayalalithaa, the party’s support for the Scheduled Caste community has been declining, he added, adding that this was one of the main reasons for the party’s electoral defeats.

If the AIADMK had to re-emerge as a strong party, it was necessary to evolve a common political approach that would include all sections of the party, Venugopal said. Former Minister S. Semmalai and former Speaker P. Dhanapal quit the party recently.

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Mr. Venugopal said the party’s general secretary (Edappadi K. Palaniswami) should use better judgement. “A person who is a Rajya Sabha MP gets a ticket to contest (Assembly polls) without thinking what will happen if he wins the MLA seat.”

He alleged that Rajya Sabha berths were given to senior party functionaries during Jayalalithaa’s tenure.

Published – 24 May 2026 11:25 AM IST