Three AIADMK MLAs resign from posts in Tamil Nadu, join TVK
(from left) Maragatham Kumaravel; S. Jayakumar; P. Sathyabama | Photo credit: The Hindu
Three AIADMK MLAs who were part of the SP Velumani faction met Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar at the Chennai Secretariat on Monday (May 25, 2026) and submitted their resignation letters. The chairman later announced that their resignations had been accepted.
Maragatham Kumaravel, MLA for Madurantakam Constituency (Chengalpattu District), S. Jayakumar, MLA for Perundurai Constituency (Erode District), and P. Sathyabama, MLA for Dharapuram Constituency (Tiruppur District) met with resignation letters to JCD Speaker Prabhakar in the afternoon regarding their resignations.
Soon after, they met Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna at the Secretariat and joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
The AIADMK’s strength in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly thus fell to 44.
Ground Floor Resignation, First Floor TVK Membership: Edappadi Palaniswami
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami condemned what he called “vulgar politics” and “horse-trading” introduced by the ruling TVK in Tamil Nadu. Any attempt to defeat and replace the AIADMK would remain a dream, he said.
The cinema celebrity, who claimed to bring purity to politics, resorted to “secret dealings” to save his government, which is a “disgrace”, Mr Palaniswami said, without naming anyone. The people of Tamil Nadu are amused by the “minority government’s” efforts to stay in power, he added.
The act of three MLAs resigning on the ground floor of the Secretariat-cum-Assembly complex and accepting party membership within minutes from the TVK minister on the first floor only revealed that this is a premeditated drama and attempts at ‘horse-trading’.
“The covert action of the TVK government is a new approach in Tamil Nadu politics. The AIADMK was a great people-serving movement that bore several acts of betrayal and backstabbing. Be it the MLAs who are supporting the government or those who have resigned now, they should not forget that they were fighting against a film celebrity symbol,” Palaniswami pointed out.
The AIADMK leader further said that any act of treachery in the hope of defeating or replacing the party will remain only a dream. Mr. Palaniswami further added that the people of Tamil Nadu will teach a befitting lesson to those who try to attract others.
A party statement said the five AIADMK MLAs assured that they would “accept Mr. Palaniswami’s instructions and advice” and fulfill their duties as legislators as well as party functionaries.
“No Selfish Agenda”
The three AIADMK MLAs who resigned from the assembly said they took the decision in the “interest of the people of our constituencies” and was not motivated by any “selfish agenda”.
Addressing the media, Ms. Kumaravel said that she and others could not do much for their constituencies in the last five years because of the DMK government. “We raised several demands in the assembly but we were not able to fulfill even 10% of the promises made to the people. Even in this election, people voted for me because they believed in me. They expected us to fulfill their demands,” she said.
When asked if they would protest against the election polls that prompted their resignation, Ms. Kumaravel said they had joined the TVK and the decision was up to the party leadership.
She said that like late Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister Vijay has prioritized the safety of women and decided to improve the services of Amma Unavagam. “We hope he will provide good governance,” she said.
Expulsion
Mr. Palaniswami has removed party functionary Thaiyur S. Kumaravel from all posts, including party primary. The General Secretary said Mr. Kumaravel’s actions were not in accordance with party discipline and further tarnished the reputation of the party.
Criticism of AMMK
Meanwhile, AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran mentioned the ‘horse-trading’ allegations he made earlier and claimed that his allegations have been proven true.
Published – 25 May 2026 16:51 IST