The movement of senior AIADMK figures to Tamil Nadu’s ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam gained pace on Thursday. Four former ministers, including C Vijayabaskar and M R Vijayabhaskar, along with several ex-legislators and thousands of workers, joined Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s party at a private venue in Mamallapuram. TVK general secretary and Water Resources Minister N Anand and other cabinet members attended the event.
The two former ministers had quit the assembly after supporting the Vijay government in a May confidence vote against party instructions. C Vijayabaskar, who held the health portfolio from 2013 to 2021 and represented Viralimalai multiple times, stepped down on June 16. M R Vijayabhaskar resigned on June 29, citing concerns over party direction.
Former Forest Minister M S M Anandan and former Backward Classes Welfare Minister S Valarmathi also switched sides, together with several former MLAs and district officials. The shift follows an earlier wave last month when four other ex-ministers moved to TVK.
The DMK responded critically. Parliamentary leader Kanimozhi compared the party to a political “washing machine” and questioned whether it could erase past allegations linked to one of the new members.
