Rift in AIADMK widens as party seniors hold separate meetings; rebels set to back Vijay during floor test

CHENNAI: There were signs of the rift in AIADMK widening on Sunday with party seniors C Ve Shanmugam and S P Velumani holding meeting with AIADMK MLAs even as general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami convened a separate district secretaries meeting.

AIADMK sources said majority of AIADMK MLAs and district secretaries attended the meeting convened by the rebel group led by Shanmugam and Velumani, while there were only a smaller section who were with EPS. The meetings held on the day when TVK president C Joseph Vijay was sworn in as chief minister also discussed about supporting TVK in the assembly during the floor test.



AIADMK sources said the rebel group was likely to vote for TVK. The decision was taken in the meeting of MLAs with Shanmugam held at his residence in MRC Nagar here, on Sunday. "AIADMK MLAs supporting Shanmugam and Velumani have decided to vote for TVK in the assembly and to come out of NDA headed by BJP," a party source said.

In the recently held assembly election, AIADMK obtained only 47 seats and lost the status of opposition party. This is the first time that AIADMK is in the opposition for more than five years. Former ministers and senior party functionaries blamed EPS for the continuous defeat that AIADMK has been facing since his elevation as general secretary.

Shanmugam and Velumani, supported by a set of former ministers including C Vijayabaskar had proposed the idea of backing TVK immediately after election results came, but EPS refused the idea at initial stages. Disgruntled by EPS's rejection, the former ministers sought and got the support of more than two-thirds of MLAs required for immunity from anti-defection law.

Meanwhile, Shanmugam established connection with TVK leaders. One AIADMK leader said Shanmugam contacted TVK general secretary N Anand. "Shanmugam expressed interest to Anand, but Vijay didn't entertain AIADMK MLAs supporting TVK. Vijay wanted the AIADMK MLAs supporting TVK to resign and then face by-election in TVK's whistle symbol. Vijay wanted only those who win in whistle symbol, but the AIADMK MLAs are reluctant to do so as they might face backlash in their own constituencies if they resign," sources said.

AIADMK leaders said efforts by a few party seniors for patching up the two factions had failed.