Former AIADMK minister Vellamandi Natarajan joins TVK

Vellamandi Natarajan with TVK General Secretary and Minister N. Anand on Wednesday evening | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Vellamandi Natarajan, who served as tourism minister during the AIADMK government, joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the presence of party general secretary N. Anand.

Hailing from Tiruchi, Mr. Natarajan has been in the AIADMK for a long time. After contesting and winning Tiruchi East Assembly constituency in 2016, he served as Tourism Minister. When the party split after the resignation of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, he sided with O. Panneerselvam. However, when Mr. Panneerselvam joined the DMK ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, Mr. Natarajan accepted the leadership of Edappadi K. Palaniswami and rejoined the AIADMK.

In this connection, he met Mr. Anand on Wednesday (May 27, 2026) evening around 11:00 PM and officially joined TVK.

Speaking to The Hindu, he said, “I have been in the party for a long time. After the demise of Jayalalithaa, the party split. It was a series of continuous defeats thereafter. I suggested that everyone in the party should sit and discuss and decide on the way forward. But they did not accept it. After the election, it is TV AIAADMK, because it has split into two parts, it is not right. all our leaders, including Periyar, Anna, MGR and Jayalalithaa, that’s why I came and joined here.

Published – 28 May 2026 11:29 IST