Fourth AIADMK rebel MLA resigns to join TVK even as six return to Palaniswami's side

The developments came even as new allies of the TVK red-flagged AIADMK MLAs resigning from the party and their membership and joining the ruling party.

Chennai: The churnings within the AIADMK continued on Tuesday with one rebel MLA joining the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) taking the count to four, even as six rebel MLAs, including former ministers, returned back to the parent party led by Edappadi K Palaniswami.

The developments came even as new allies of the TVK such as the Congress, CPI (M), and VCK red-flagged AIADMK MLAs resigning from the party and their membership and joining the ruling party. “It does not bode well for the future of TVK,” VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan said, while Congress MP S Jothimani questioned the need for inducting AIADMK MLAs into the party when the TVK government enjoys majority in the House.

While taking objection to the development, Thirumavalavan clarified that his party will continue to support the TVK government and won’t withdraw its support. Ambasamudram MLA Isakki Subbaiah resigned on Tuesday, taking the number to four, and as expected, Speaker J C D Prabhakar accepted his resignation and notified the same in the gazette.

With this, the number of vacancies in the Tamil Nadu Assembly has gone up to five. Even as Subbaiah resigned, six rebel MLAs -- O S Manian, Balakrishna Reddy, Natham Viswanathan, Hari, Arunmozhithevan, and Ravi Manoharan – met Palaniswami at his residence, bringing down the number of rebels to 11.

Meanwhile, AIADMK leader Agri S S Krishnamurthy met Prabhakar and asked him not to accept the resignations of the MLAs since the party has submitted a petition action under the anti-defection law against them, “Accepting resignations under such circumstances violated assembly rules and democratic norms,” Krishnamurthy added.

TVK’s move is aimed at helping the ruling TVK secure a majority of its own in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly without depending on support from alliance partners. TVK currently has 107 MLAs and is supported by 13 MLAs from the Congress, VCK, CPI(M), CPI, and IUML.

These former MLAs, who have escaped disqualification under the anti-defection law by resigning, are believed to have been promised TVK tickets for the upcoming by-elections.

A crisis has been brewing in the AIADMK ever since the party was pushed to the third position in the April 23 assembly elections, with the Velumani faction breaking away and supporting the trust vote moved by Vijay on May 13, ignoring Palaniswami’s direction to vote against it.

The rebel MLAs, after the TVK ignored their request to be taken into the Cabinet, made a climbdown by acknowledging Palaniswami’s leadership, following which compromise talks were launched to bring about a truce. However, a group broke away from the rebels and resigned from their posts, with sources indicating that more legislators will join the TVK camp.