Two ex-AIADMK Ministers join TVK with 15,000 supporters in Mamallapuram
Synopsis
Two former AIADMK cabinet ministers walked into TVK's fold on Thursday with nearly 15,000 supporters in tow — one of the ruling party's biggest single-day inductions. Their parting shot: that AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami rejected an alliance with TVK and instead sought DMK support, a charge that cuts at the heart of AIADMK's ideological identity ahead of the next Assembly polls.
Key Takeaways
Former AIADMK ministers Dr C.
Vijayabaskar and M.R.
Vijayabhaskar joined TVK on 3 July 2025 at Mamallapuram .
Nearly 15,000 supporters and functionaries accompanied them, arriving in roughly 200 buses and over 600 cars .
208 former AIADMK union secretaries and multiple ex-MLAs and district leaders also switched to TVK.
The two leaders alleged AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K.
Palaniswami ignored their call for a TVK alliance and sought DMK backing instead.
The defection deepens the AIADMK's organisational erosion ahead of the next Tamil Nadu Assembly elections .
Two former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) ministers, Dr C. Vijayabaskar and M.R. Vijayabhaskar, formally joined the ruling Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) on Thursday, 3 July 2025, at a ceremony in Mamallapuram, near Chennai, alongside nearly 15,000 supporters and party functionaries. The induction is among the largest single-day political crossovers into TVK since the party assumed power.
Key Developments at the Mamallapuram Ceremony
The event was held at a private hotel in Mamallapuram, with senior TVK ministers N. Anand and Adhav Arjuna formally receiving the incoming leaders. Beyond the two former ministers, several other prominent AIADMK figures joined the fold, including former minister S. Valarmathi from Tiruchirappalli, former minister M.S.M. Anandan from Tiruppur, and former legislators Manraj (Srivilliputhur), M. Ramkumar (Kumbakonam), Rajavarman (Tiruchirappalli), Sathyan Prabhakar (Paramakudi), and Thirugnanasambandam (Peravurani).
District-level leaders including P.K. Vairamuthu (Pudukottai), Ilambai Tamilselvan (Perambalur), Orathanadu M. Sekar (Thanjavur), and Srinivasan (Tiruchirappalli) also switched allegiance, along with 208 former AIADMK union secretaries.
The Scale of the Shift
According to organisers, supporters arrived at the venue from across Tamil Nadu, including from Karur and Pudukottai districts, travelling in nearly 200 buses and more than 600 cars. The sheer logistics of the gathering underscored the political weight of the defection.
What the Departing Leaders Said
In a joint statement issued ahead of the ceremony, Dr C. Vijayabaskar and M.R. Vijayabhaskar said they had remained loyal to the AIADMK throughout their political careers and had stood by the party during some of its most difficult phases. They alleged that they had urged AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami to forge an electoral alliance with TVK ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, but that their counsel was disregarded.
The two leaders further alleged that Palaniswami had instead sought to become Chief Minister with the backing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), describing any such understanding as 'unnatural' and contrary to the founding ideals of party patriarch M.G. Ramachandran. They said they left the AIADMK 'with tears in our eyes,' joining TVK with the belief that it offered a credible new political direction.
Why This Matters for Tamil Nadu Politics
The defection deepens the internal fractures within the AIADMK, which has been navigating a difficult post-power transition since losing the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The exit of two former cabinet ministers — accompanied by hundreds of grassroots functionaries — signals a further erosion of the party's organisational base ahead of the next state polls. This comes amid broader speculation about alliance realignments in Tamil Nadu, where the ruling TVK is consolidating its footprint against a divided opposition. Whether the AIADMK can arrest further attrition will be a defining question in the months ahead.
Point of View
000 cadres and 208 union secretaries, the damage is organisational, not just symbolic. The allegation that Palaniswami sought DMK support — if it gains traction — is particularly corrosive, because the AIADMK's core identity has always been defined in opposition to the DMK. TVK, meanwhile, is doing something tactically astute: absorbing AIADMK's ground network without having to build it. The question for the next Assembly cycle is whether this is a trickle or the beginning of a flood.
NationPress
2 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Dr C. Vijayabaskar and M.R. Vijayabhaskar?
Both are former cabinet ministers of the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu. They joined the ruling Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) on 3 July 2025 at Mamallapuram, along with nearly 15,000 supporters and several other former AIADMK legislators and functionaries.
Why did the two former AIADMK ministers leave the party?
In a joint statement, they alleged that AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami ignored their advice to ally with TVK ahead of the Assembly elections and instead sought DMK support — a move they described as 'unnatural' and contrary to the party's founding values. They said they left 'with tears in our eyes.'
What is the significance of this defection for the AIADMK?
The exit of two former ministers alongside 15,000 supporters and 208 union secretaries represents a significant organisational blow to the AIADMK, which has been struggling to rebuild after losing the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. It signals continued grassroots erosion ahead of the next state polls.
Where was the TVK induction ceremony held?
The ceremony was held at a private hotel in Mamallapuram, near Chennai, on 3 July 2025. Senior TVK ministers N. Anand and Adhav Arjuna formally welcomed the new entrants.
Who else joined TVK alongside the two former ministers?
Several other former AIADMK figures joined, including ex-ministers S. Valarmathi and M.S.M. Anandan, former MLAs from Srivilliputhur, Kumbakonam, Tiruchirappalli, Paramakudi, and Peravurani, district leaders from Pudukottai, Perambalur, and Thanjavur, and 208 former AIADMK union secretaries.
