Sources in Chennai say the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is holding talks to offer former AIADMK minister C.V. Shanmugam the post of the Tamil Nadu government’s special representative in Delhi.
The development comes after the Assembly election, in which the AIADMK won only 47 seats, followed by internal splits into two groups led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami and by the Velumani camp. The Palaniswami side reportedly had 22 MLAs, while the Velumani side had 25.
To help the TVK government prove its majority in the Assembly, the Velumani camp extended support, with Shanmugam—elected from the Mayilam constituency in Villupuram district—said to have led that group. Reports later suggested the Velumani camp could be accommodated in the Cabinet.
However, parties that moved from the DMK alliance to the TVK alliance—Congress, VCK and the Muslim League—objected, and AIADMK members were not given ministerial posts. This reportedly triggered confusion within the Velumani camp, leading to four MLAs resigning and joining TVK, with board chairmanships expected for them.
After subsequent moves, the Velumani camp is said to have reached a compromise with Palaniswami, while Shanmugam and former minister Pudukottai Vijayabaskar remained on the sidelines. In this backdrop, sources claim TVK is discussing appointing Shanmugam as Delhi special representative if he resigns his MLA post.
