Four Former AIADMK Ministers and 50 Functionaries Join TVK in Mahabalipuram

Four former AIADMK ministers and 50 top party functionaries defected to the TVK party along with thousands of grassroots supporters during a ceremony at the Four Points by Sheraton beach resort in Mahabalipuram, near Chennai. The high-profile defection has boosted the TVK's political strength while drawing sharp criticism from rival political parties.

The defecting former ministers include C Vijayabhaskar, M R Vijayabhaskar, S Valarmathi from Trichy, and M S M Ananda from Tiruppur. The 54 top functionaries who switched loyalties also comprised four former district secretaries, 12 former MP or MLA candidates, 23 State-level office-bearers, and 11 Union secretaries from Pudukottai.

TVK leaders N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, K G Arunraj, and K A Sengottaiyan welcomed the incoming members at the resort. While thousands of grassroots supporters arrived at the venue in buses, many expressed disappointment over the absence of TVK president C Joseph Vijay.

C Vijayabhaskar, who changed his regular attire of white shirt and dhoti with AIADMK colours to trousers for the switch, attributed his departure to the wrong decisions of the AIADMK leadership. Sengottaiyan, who joined the TVK after being expelled from the AIADMK in November 2025, accused AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami of betraying party workers by attempting to align with the DMK. He claimed the AIADMK was being run like a corporate firm and declared that TVK leader Vijay would be the "forever Chief Minister."

The mass defection evoked strong reactions from political rivals. DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi criticized the inductions, comparing TVK to a "washing machine" capable of washing away "gutka stains," a reference to C Vijayabhaskar's alleged involvement in a gutka scam. The DMK also highlighted the July 2024 arrest of M R Vijayabhaskar in a Rs 100 crore land grabbing fraud case.

AIADMK women’s wing deputy secretary Gayathri Raghuraman also criticized the move, stating it was "not clean politics" and arguing that the TVK should hold corrupt politicians accountable instead of welcoming them.

In response to the exodus, Edappadi K Palaniswami scheduled a series of consultative meetings with district party functionaries from July 6 to 9 at the party headquarters in Chennai to discuss post-election developments.