AIADMK cracks widen after Tamil Nadu defeat; faction backs Vijay-led TVK government

The faction, led by CV Shanmugam and SP Velumani, has backed the ruling coalition, with the leaders scheduled to meet Chief Minister Vijay later in the day.

‘Need to revive the party’

Shanmugam cited AIADMK’s repeated electoral defeats as the reason behind rallying behind the TVK-led government.

He also rejected the idea of an alliance with arch-rival Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, saying such a move would threaten the party’s existence.

“We need to revive the party... must discuss its future,” Shanmugam told the media, according to NDTV.

“We founded this party against the DMK. For 53 years, our politics was against it. Given this, a proposal suggesting an AIADMK government with DMK support was rejected. If we formed such an alliance, AIADMK would not exist,” he added.

Vijay’s TVK reshapes Tamil Nadu politics

In its electoral debut, Vijay’s TVK won 108 seats, dramatically disrupting the decades-old bipolar dominance of the DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu politics.

However, TVK initially fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats and had been seeking additional support to form the government.

Vijay eventually formed the government with support from the DMK’s allies, including the Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Indian Union Muslim League, helping him cross the majority mark in a tightly contested Assembly verdict.

Political speculation after results

Following the results declared on May 4, Tamil Nadu witnessed intense political speculation, with multiple alliance possibilities emerging.

There were even discussions that the DMK and AIADMK could explore a tactical arrangement to keep Vijay out of office.