The newly elected legislators from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) attended the oath-taking ceremony for the 17th Tamil Nadu legislative assembly on Monday in two groups, deepening the impression of a rupture in the party after it bagged 47 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly.
AIADMK legislators have traditionally gathered together at the assembly entrance and entered the house as a united bloc at the start of house sessions or oath-taking ceremonies. This time, party MLAs, came in two separate groups, one led by former chief minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami and another led by leaders, CV Shanmugam, and SP Velumani.
The two AIADMK groups sat separately in the assembly during the ceremony and left the venue separately as well.
People familiar with the matter said Shanmugam, Velumani and their supporters have shown interest in backing the Vijay-led TVK that has formed the government in the state.
TVK won 108 seats in the recently held state polls, defeating the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and leaving the AIADMK far behind electorally. TVK with 107 seats (after Vijay’s resignation from Tiruchirappali East) has since formed government with the support of 13 MLAs from the Congress, VCK, IUML and the Left parties.
The election results triggered turmoil in the AIADMK with a set of lawmakers showing interest in extending support to TVK.
On Monday, social media posts and media reports emerged indicating that two factions of the party submitted separate letters to the new Tamil Nadu assembly pro-tem speaker, naming former chief minister and party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, and Velumani as their respective legislative party leaders. This could not be independently verified.
“There is a clear split within the party. Many MLAs want a change in leadership. If Palaniswami continues as a leader, there is a possibility of some MLAs extending support to TVK,” former AIADMK leader K C Palanisamy told PTI.
A senior party leader played down the division.
“By analysing the reasons for the defeat and finding the necessary solutions, the party will bounce back…I say this with conviction and confidence” the leader said, adding that Palaniswami’s only objective is ‘welfare of the general public’.
When asked about his possible resignation, the leader said: “Why should he resign? He has worked for the welfare of Edappadi constituency and see how well he has maintained that constituency. He also won by more than 98,000 votes.”
Political analyst Sathyalaya Ramakrishnan said misunderstandings among the AIADMK leaders should be resolved through dialogue and unity. “I feel till now the party is united since all the AIADMK MLAs were sitting together in the Assembly. The senior leaders of the AIADMK must ensure that there is no split in the party”, Ramakrishnan told PTI.
AIADMK’s winning candidate from Lalgudi constituency Leema Rose Martin – whose son-in-law is TVK lawmaker, Aadhav Arjuna — had said last week that talks were under way between Palaniswami and TVK. Soon after reports of the talks emerged, over two dozen AIADMK MLAs were whisked away to a resort in neighbouring Puducherry.
The party has faced successive electoral setbacks including the 2019 parliament election, the 2021 Assembly election, the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and the 2021 Assembly election. In addition, the party also lost the Erode by-election in 2025.
