Who is CV Shanmugam? AIADMK leader at forefront of mobilising party MLAs to support Vijay's TVK

CV Shanmugam, who is a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the senior-most figures in the AIADMK, has served as Tamil Nadu's Law Minister and is widely regarded as a close associate of party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.

As Tamil Nadu's post-election political drama intensifies, one name has emerged at the centre of the most consequential decision the AIADMK faces --- CV Shanmugam, who is a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the senior-most figures in the AIADMK. He has served as Tamil Nadu's Law Minister and is widely regarded as a close associate of party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. Within the party, he is known as a strategist who handles difficult political decisions, and right now, there is no more difficult decision than whether to back Thalapathy Vijay's TVK.

Around 35 AIADMK MLAs, over two-thirds of the party's assembly strength, gathered at Shanmugam's Chennai office this week to discuss extending support to TVK. The MLAs present reportedly pressed the party leadership to take a quick decision, warning that if no clear stand is taken, more than 30 legislators could break away and extend support to Vijay independently.

TVK won 108 seats in its debut election but remains ten short of the 118 needed for a majority in the 234-member assembly. With no pre-poll allies, the party's path to government runs through either the AIADMK or the DMK camp. TVK has already secured backing from five Congress MLAs and has reached out to the CPI, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and several smaller parties. Vijay is expected to be sworn in as Chief Minister at Chennai's Nehru Stadium once numbers are confirmed.

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The AIADMK, however, is struggling to reach a consensus. The party cancelled a scheduled meeting of its newly elected MLAs on Wednesday at the last minute, exposing sharp internal divisions. One section favours extending outside support to TVK to prevent any possibility of the DMK returning to power. Another group is firmly opposed to backing a party they regard as untested and without a clear ideological foundation.

AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan sought to contain the damage, insisting the decision rested with the high command. "TVK has not invited any party. If they want stability, they should take a call. There is some momentum. We will wait and see," he said.

Palaniswami, who accepted the election result with a measured public statement, "I wholeheartedly accept the decision given by the people", is now under pressure to resolve the internal standoff before it becomes a split.

Preparations for the swearing-in ceremony are already underway at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. The Governor is expected to invite TVK to form the government as the single largest party, after which Vijay will need to prove his majority on the floor of the house within the specified timeframe.

Whether Shanmugam's push succeeds, and whether the AIADMK holds together long enough to make a collective decision, will determine the shape of Tamil Nadu's next government.

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(With IANS inputs)