Chennai: The ruling Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), led by Chief Minister Vijay, has come under fire after three disgruntled AIADMK MLAs resigned and joined the party, in a move critics compare to tactics used by the BJP in other states.
With Vijay’s own resignation earlier, the Tiruchirappalli East seat is already set for a by-election. Opposition parties now allege that the latest resignations are part of a broader plan to create more vacancies and force additional bypolls, allowing TVK to increase its strength in the Assembly.
The controversy draws parallels with past political episodes in India, where governments were destabilised through mass resignations. After the anti-defection law tightened party switching—requiring a two-thirds split for a legal merger—resignations emerged as an alternative route.
In 2019, 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs in Karnataka resigned and later joined the BJP, leading to the fall of the Kumaraswamy government and the formation of a BJP government under B S Yediyurappa. A similar episode occurred in Madhya Pradesh in 2020, when 22 Congress MLAs resigned and joined the BJP, bringing down the Kamal Nath government; the BJP later improved its numbers through by-elections.
Opponents argue that TVK adopting a comparable approach in Tamil Nadu has sparked sharp criticism and raised questions about political ethics and stability.
