Over 300 members of AIADMK formally joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Saturday at the party headquarters in Panaiyur near Chennai, saying they could not serve the public effectively under AIADMK leadership, ANI reported.
Among those who crossed over were former AIADMK ministers Vellamandi Natarajan and Anandan, Anna Trade Union Federation state secretary Kamalakkannan, former Mylapore MLA Natraj, former Paramakudi MLA Sadhan Prabhakar, and Tirupathur city secretary D. T. Kumar.
Senior leader and former minister Udumalai Radhakrishnan said he and several other senior AIADMK figures have joined TVK, naming Trichy’s N. R. Sivapathi, Kadambur Raju, M. C. Sampath, Panneerselvam, Govindasamy and Kolathur Krishnamoorthy among those who have moved across. He told reporters the group had remained in AIADMK for the past five years but were operating under difficult circumstances and felt unable to serve the public properly.
Recalling the strict party discipline under the late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, Radhakrishnan said her death was a major setback for AIADMK. He added that they now see the ideals of M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) and Jayalalithaa reflected in the leadership of Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, and that the respect and recognition they received in TVK motivated their decision to join.
Radhakrishnan said the defectors will work wholeheartedly for TVK, back its younger leaders and focus on winning the upcoming local body elections. He stressed their commitment to party discipline and said they would carry out any responsibility assigned by the leadership.
Speaking at the event, Minister Sengottaiyan praised TVK’s rapid rise and said Tamil Nadu voters sought change under Chief Minister Vijay. He added that no movement born in Tamil soil can defeat TVK and declared, in reference to Vijay, that “Vijay will remain the permanent Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” ANI reported.
Original Source: https://www.sentinelassam.com/more-news/national-news/over-300-aiadmk-members-join-ruling-tamilaga-vettri-kazhagam-in-tamil-nadu
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Publish Date: 2026-06-07 14:31:00
