Four former AIADMK ministers and 300+ members join TVK

In a significant political realignment, a large group of leaders from the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) formally joined Tamil Nadu's ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Saturday, June 6, 2026. The induction ceremony at the TVK headquarters in Panaiyur, on the outskirts of Chennai, was attended by several state ministers and marked the latest in a series of defections weakening the AIADMK since the recent state election.

The group included four former AIADMK ministers: M.C. Sampath, Kadambur C. Raju, Udumalai K. Radhakrishnan, and N.R. Sivapathi. The first three had unsuccessfully contested the May 2026 Assembly elections. They were joined by a former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) legislator, J. Karunanidhi, and over 300 other AIADMK functionaries, including former ministers, ex-MLAs, and district-level leaders. Some reports placed the total number of new entrants at over 2,500.

Speaking at the event, former minister Udumalai Radhakrishnan explained the defectors' rationale. He stated they had remained in the AIADMK for the past five years but were unable to effectively serve the public under the party's current conditions. He cited a lack of...