Former AIADMK minister C. Vijayabaskar, who represents the Viralimali constituency in Pudukkottai district, resigned from his MLA post on June 16. The resignation was accepted by Speaker JCD Prabhakar, according to an announcement in the Assembly.
The development comes amid internal churn in the AIADMK after the party’s heavy defeat in the Assembly election. Reports said a group of MLAs and functionaries had earlier rallied against party leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), and later saw their party posts removed.
In the recent period, four MLAs from Perundurai, Dharapuram, Maduranthakam and Ambasamudram resigned and joined TVK, reducing the AIADMK’s strength to 43. Vijayabaskar, a former Health Minister, was among those described as continuing to voice criticism of EPS, with speculation circulating about his next political move.
Vijayabaskar submitted his resignation letter in person to the Speaker. With his exit, the number of vacant Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu has risen to six, and the count of AIADMK MLAs who have resigned has increased to five.
Dinamalar reported that the resignation was also streamed live on its website and social media platforms.
