Former AIADMK Cabinet Ministers Lead 15,000‑Strong Shift to TVK

Chennai, July 2 – The political landscape of Tamil Nadu witnessed a striking realignment on Thursday as Dr. C. Vijayabhaskar and M.R. Vijayabhaskar, both ex‑ministers of the AIADMK, prepared to merge with the ruling Tamil Ga Vetri Katchi (TVK). The ceremony, set for a hotel near Mallapuram on the city’s outskirts, will be attended by an estimated 15,000 AIADMK cadres, party functionaries and supporters. Senior TVK minister N. Anand and organizer Arjunan are slated to receive the entrants formally. The gathering includes a host of veteran AIADMK figures, such as former ministers S. Valarmathi (Tiruchirappalli) and M.S.M. Anandhan (Tiruppur), ex‑MLA Manraj (Shrirampattu), as well as regional leaders like P.K. Vairamuthu (Pudukkottai), Ilambai Tamilselvan (Perambalur), O Rathanaidu M. Sekar (Thanjavur) and Srini Vasan (Tiruchirappalli). Additionally, 208 former AIADMK union secretaries will join the event. According to organizers, the convoy comprises roughly 200 buses and over 600 cars, underscoring the scale of the defection. In a joint statement released prior to the ceremony, the two former ministers affirmed lifelong fidelity to AIADMK, recalling how they had urged General Secretary K. Palaniswami to negotiate an electoral alliance with TVK before the upcoming state elections. They allege their advice was dismissed and that Palaniswami instead pursued a chief‑ministerial ambition with DMK’s support. The duo labeled any prospective AIADMK‑DMK agreement as “unnatural” and contrary to the ideology of the party’s founder, M.G. Ramachandran. Expressing disappointment, they said they were leaving AIADMK "with tears in their eyes" but view the move to TVK as a chance to continue serving the people of Tamil Nadu under a renewed political vision.