AIADMK MLAs who had rallied behind former minister S P Velumani are now said to be wavering, as expectations of positions in the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government have not materialised, according to party sources. Against this backdrop, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami is stepping up efforts to convene the party’s general council to consolidate control and “save the party”.
The report notes that the AIADMK won only 47 seats in the Assembly election. In the wake of repeated setbacks and allegations that Palaniswami was an obstacle to forming a coalition government, a dissident group emerged under Velumani and former minister C V Shanmugam.
On May 13, 25 MLAs from this camp backed TVK during a confidence vote in the Assembly. Following this, several district secretaries were said to have joined the dissident side, triggering a swift response from Palaniswami.
Palaniswami subsequently removed district secretary posts from Velumani, Shanmugam and others—28 functionaries in total—and appointed his supporters in their place. Sources said he is also using the new appointees to identify and replace lower-level functionaries and to rework the party’s general council and executive committee membership.
Meanwhile, the dissident camp is reportedly unable to decide its next steps as the Chief Minister is said to be delaying cabinet berths. A meeting was held at Shanmugam’s office in Chennai’s MRC Nagar to discuss the situation, but party functionaries are said to be hesitant to openly engage with the dissidents amid fears of immediate disciplinary action.
