Five AIADMK MLAs who were part of the dissident group led by former ministers C.V. Shanmugam and S.P. Velumani have shifted allegiance to party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, sources said.
The internal rift surfaced after differences within the AIADMK over extending support to the T.V.K. to form a government without a clear majority. During a floor test to prove the T.V.K. government’s majority, 25 AIADMK MLAs led by Shanmugam and Velumani backed the ruling side.
It was later reported that dissident AIADMK MLAs could be accommodated in the T.V.K. cabinet in return. However, Chief Minister Vijay is said to have allotted cabinet berths to VCK and the Muslim League—parties that came from the DMK alliance—while no posts were given to the AIADMK MLAs.
Amid the resulting discontent, three MLAs from Velumani’s side resigned their posts and joined the T.V.K., according to the report. Separately, Arcot MLA Sukumar, Sankarankovil MLA Dileepan Jaisankar, Panruti MLA Mohan, Kangeyam MLA Natarajan and Anthiyur MLA Haribhaskar moved to Palaniswami’s camp.
The five MLAs later visited the Chennai Secretariat and met Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar, submitting a fresh petition stating they were not part of Velumani’s faction and were withdrawing the support letter they had submitted earlier, sources said.
