Vellamandi Natarajan quits AIADMK, joins TVK amid defection row
Synopsis
A veteran AIADMK leader with decades of grassroots standing has walked out and joined the ruling TVK — the latest in a string of defections that is stripping the Opposition of its experienced bench. With four MLAs already gone and now a former minister following, the AIADMK's structural crisis is no longer a rumour; it is a measurable haemorrhage.
Key Takeaways
Former Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister Vellamandi Natarajan joined the ruling TVK on 28 May in the presence of TVK general secretary N.
Natarajan, a Tiruchi -based leader, had been associated with the AIADMK for several decades and won the Tiruchi East seat in 2016 .
He cited the AIADMK's repeated internal splits and unbroken electoral defeats since Jayalalithaa's death in 2016 as reasons for leaving.
His defection follows four AIADMK MLAs who had already resigned and joined the TVK in the preceding weeks.
AIADMK MP Dhanpal has demanded a central agency probe, alleging financial inducements and horse-trading by the ruling party.
Former Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister Vellamandi Natarajan formally joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Wednesday night, 28 May, in the presence of TVK general secretary N. Anand, dealing a fresh blow to the already beleaguered All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The defection deepens the Opposition party's ongoing crisis and intensifies speculation about further realignments in Tamil Nadu's political landscape.
Who Is Vellamandi Natarajan
Natarajan is a veteran leader from Tiruchi who spent several decades as a grassroots organiser for the AIADMK in central Tamil Nadu. He won the Tiruchi East Assembly seat in 2016 and subsequently served as Tourism Minister in the AIADMK government under late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
Following Jayalalithaa's death in 2016, Natarajan backed former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam during the party's bitter power struggle. When Panneerselvam aligned with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) ahead of the 2026 Assembly election, Natarajan returned to the faction led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami. Despite that reconciliation, the party's continuing internal turmoil reportedly pushed him toward the TVK.
What Natarajan Said
Speaking to reporters after enrolling in the TVK, Natarajan cited the AIADMK's repeated splits and unbroken string of electoral defeats since Jayalalithaa's demise as the primary reasons for his exit.
'I have been in the party for a long time. After Jayalalithaa's death, the party split and has since suffered continuous defeats. I repeatedly suggested that all leaders should sit together and decide the future course collectively, but my views were not accepted. Even after the election, the party split again. All this is not good for the movement,' he said.
He also praised the TVK leadership, saying the party had embraced the ideological legacy of Periyar, C.N. Annadurai, M.G. Ramachandran, and Jayalalithaa — a lineage he said influenced his decision to join the ruling camp.
Pattern of Defections
Natarajan's switch is not an isolated event. Four AIADMK MLAs had already resigned and crossed over to the TVK in the weeks preceding his move, signalling a broader pattern of attrition within the Opposition. This comes amid an AIADMK that has struggled to consolidate leadership and electoral identity since losing power in 2021.
Notably, the party has now weathered multiple high-profile exits following each of its last two general election cycles, raising questions about its ability to retain senior cadres ahead of future contests.
AIADMK Cries Horse-Trading
AIADMK MP Dhanpal has demanded a detailed probe by central agencies into the defections, alleging large-scale horse-trading and financial inducements by the ruling party to engineer the crossovers. The AIADMK has characterised the defections as a deliberate, funded effort to destabilise the Opposition rather than a voluntary political realignment.
The TVK has not publicly responded to the horse-trading allegations. As the AIADMK's bench of experienced leaders continues to thin, the pressure on Palaniswami to arrest the exodus will only grow ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Point of View
And every unresolved faction fight since 2016 has made it easier for senior leaders to justify exit. What makes this particularly damaging is not just the loss of a former minister, but the optics — a veteran grassroots organiser publicly citing internal dysfunction, not ideological pull, as his reason for leaving. The AIADMK's horse-trading allegation may generate headlines, but it deflects from the harder question: why are experienced leaders finding it easier to leave than to stay and fight? Until Palaniswami rebuilds institutional trust within the cadre, the attrition is unlikely to stop.
NationPress
15 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Vellamandi Natarajan and why did he join the TVK?
Vellamandi Natarajan is a veteran AIADMK leader from Tiruchi who served as Tamil Nadu's Tourism Minister under Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and won the Tiruchi East Assembly seat in 2016. He joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam on 28 May, citing the AIADMK's repeated internal splits and consecutive electoral defeats since Jayalalithaa's death as his primary reasons.
What is the AIADMK's response to the defections?
AIADMK MP Dhanpal has demanded a probe by central agencies, alleging that the ruling TVK engineered the defections through large-scale horse-trading and financial inducements. The party has characterised the crossovers as a funded effort to destabilise the Opposition.
How many AIADMK leaders have recently joined the TVK?
At least four AIADMK MLAs resigned and joined the TVK in the weeks before Natarajan's switch, making him the latest and most senior figure in a continuing wave of defections from the Opposition party.
What is the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)?
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is the ruling party in Tamil Nadu. Its general secretary is N. Anand, who received Natarajan's membership on Wednesday night, 28 May.
What does this mean for the AIADMK going forward?
The defections signal a deepening leadership and cadre crisis for the AIADMK, which has struggled to consolidate since losing power in 2021. Continued exits of experienced leaders weaken the party's organisational depth ahead of future elections and increase pressure on AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami to stem the exodus.
