50% leaders already with us: TVK's swipe at AIADMK as 4 ex-ministers join party

MC Sampath, NR Sivapathi, Kadambur C Raju and Udumalai K Radhakrishnan, all of whom had served as ministers at various points under J Jayalalithaa and Edappadi Palaniswami, joined the party in the presence of Tamil Nadu ministers N Anand and Aadhav Arjuna.

In Short

• TVK claims to be free from internal rivalries unlike AIADMK and DMK
• Former AIADMK ministers join TVK in presence of state ministers
• TVK ministers says party open to welcoming DMK cadres

The political churn in Tamil Nadu continues following the rise of Chief Minister Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Four former AIADMK ministers and one former DMK MLA joined the TVK on Friday.

MC Sampath, NR Sivapathi, Kadambur C Raju and Udumalai K Radhakrishnan, all of whom had served as ministers at various points under J Jayalalithaa and Edappadi Palaniswami, joined the party in the presence of Tamil Nadu ministers N Anand and Aadhav Arjuna. In addition, former DMK MLA J Karunanidhi also joined the TVK.

In the recent elections, Radhakrishnan contested unsuccessfully from Udumalpet, while Sampath finished third in Cuddalore. While Raju lost from Kovilpatti in the 2026 polls, Karunanidhi was denied a ticket to contest from T Nagar constituency, which eventually elected Anand as its MLA.

ARJUNA TARGETS DMK, AIADMK

Following their induction, Arjuna said there was no difference between TVK and AIADMK in terms of their commitment to public welfare. “Unlike other parties, TVK is free from internal rivalries and jealousy, and its functionaries work together with mutual respect and affection,” news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

He also blamed AIADMK supremo Palaniswami for the current political situation in the state, where the TVK is attempting to emerge as an alternative to the Dravidian parties.

Targeting both AIADMK and DMK cadres, he further claimed that TVK chief Vijay has been the only leader who has embraced AIADMK cadres after Jayalalithaa's death in 2016, and that the party remains open to welcoming true followers of DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi.

“Already 50 per cent of AIADMK leaders have joined us. For that, I thank the AIADMK general secretary,” he added sarcastically.

CRISIS WITHIN AIADMK DEEPENS

While the DMK lost power in the recently concluded Assembly elections, it is the AIADMK that has witnessed multiple defections, with several leaders joining the Vijay-led party after its third-place finish.

Earlier, a rebel group of 25 MLAs supported a motion of confidence moved by CM Vijay in the Assembly, violating the party whip to vote against it. Four of those MLAs later resigned and joined TVK before the rebel group reconciled with the Palaniswami faction.

Since then, several AIADMK functionaries have switched sides. On May 29, more than 300 AIADMK members joined TVK at its Panaiyur headquarters in Chennai. The defectors included former ministers Vellamandi Natarajan and Anandan, as well as former MLAs Natraj and Sadhan Prabhakar.

However, the trend began in 2025 itself when veteran leader KA Sengottaiyan left the AIADMK to join Vijay ahead of the elections. The move paid off as the TVK formed a coalition government with smaller parties, with Sengottaiyan becoming the state's Revenue Minister.

- Ends