AIADMK divided as CV Shanmugam-led faction extends support to TVK government

In what is being seen as the first major political fallout of the TVK’s spectacular rise in Tamil Nadu politics, a faction of the AIADMK led by SP Velumani and CV Shanmugam on Tuesday extended support to the Vijay-led ruling coalition in the state.

Although the rebel leaders denied that the AIADMK — founded by former chief minister and iconic actor M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) — had formally split, multiple media reports suggested that the party was facing a deep internal vertical divide over support to the TVK government.

According to the AIADMK faction, party chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami retained the support of only around 20-22 legislators, while most MLAs favoured extending support to the Vijay-led government in the interest of political stability.

TVK emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly elections, winning 108 seats in the 234-member House, but fell 10 short of the majority mark. The Congress extended support with five MLAs, but intense political negotiations continued over securing the remaining numbers needed to form the government.

It was during this phase that the Shanmugam-led AIADMK faction — which claims the backing of 47 legislators — pushed for supporting the TVK government.

Shanmugam, who is expected to join the Vijay government, pointed to the AIADMK’s repeated electoral setbacks as a key reason behind the rebellion. He said the party had suffered three successive defeats at the hands of the DMK and that its alliance with the BJP had failed to revive its fortunes. Since the death of former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, he said, the party had been grappling with a prolonged leadership and organisational crisis.

“We need to revive the party and discuss its future. We urge the General Secretary to convene the party council,” Shanmugam said, while also criticising sections within the AIADMK for exploring an understanding with the DMK.

At the same time, he insisted that he had no intention of splitting the AIADMK, setting the stage for a dramatic confrontation with the party’s leadership led by EPS, who had earlier rejected calls from the rebel faction to support Vijay and the TVK.

Shanmugam also declared that the AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP revived by EPS last year in an attempt to regain political ground was effectively over. The development is politically significant as Vijay had repeatedly cited the AIADMK’s ties with the BJP as a major ideological obstacle to any alliance.

Meanwhile, another group of senior AIADMK leaders considered loyal to EPS, including KP Munusamy and Thambidurai, met Palaniswami at his residence amid the escalating crisis.

The AIADMK’s IT wing also attacked the rebel leaders on X, branding them “betrayers” and accusing them of being incapable of winning seats in their own districts. “It is EPS who protects the party. People voted for the AIADMK only because of EPS,” the post said.

The political drama follows reports last week that several AIADMK legislators loyal to EPS had been shifted to a resort in Puducherry amid pressure from within the party to support the TVK government. Leaders close to EPS denied reports of a rebellion and claimed the move was aimed at preventing poaching attempts by rival camps.