The landslide victory of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) appears to have triggered internal dissent within the AIADMK, with a section of party MLAs reportedly seeking to support Vijay’s party in government formation.
According to reports, over two-thirds of AIADMK MLAs inclined to back Vijay gathered at senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP C.V. Shanmugam’s office in Pattinambakkam, Chennai.
These disgruntled MLAs have reportedly requested AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami to consider an alliance with TVK who fell 10 seats short of a majority in the assembly. They have also issued an indirect warning to the party chief, stating that if he fails to act, over 30 MLAs could break away and extend their support to Vijay, reports claimed.
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Meanwhile, AIADMK MLA-elect Leemarose Martin claimed that Palaniswami was already in talks with Vijay to extend support to TVK for forming a stable government.
Leemarose, the wife of “lottery baron” Santiago Martin, won a closely contested race in the Lalgudi assembly constituency in Tiruchi district. Her son-in-law, Aadhav Arjuna, representing TVK, secured victory from the Villivakkam assembly constituency in Chennai.
TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly and requires support from 10 MLAs to achieve a simple majority. The AIADMK won 47 seats.
Meanwhile, the Congress, with five MLAs on its side, has decided to give conditional support to TVK to form the government, stating that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government committed to protecting the Constitution.
The Congress's decision drew ire from its ally, the DMK, which described the national party as “backstabbers” and claimed the move has made them an unstable partner.