Chennai, May 28 (IANS) In a fresh political setback for the AIADMK, former Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister and senior party leader, Vellamandi Natarajan, joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the presence of the party’s general secretary N. Anand, intensifying speculation over continuing realignments within the Opposition camp.

A prominent leader from Tiruchi, Natarajan had been associated with the AIADMK for several decades and was considered a loyal grassroots organiser in central Tamil Nadu.

He was elected from the Tiruchi East Assembly constituency in 2016 and later served as Tourism Minister in the AIADMK government headed by late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

Following Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, Natarajan sided with former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam during the intense power struggle within the AIADMK. However, after Panneerselvam aligned with the DMK ahead of the 2026 Assembly election, Natarajan returned to the Edappadi K. Palaniswami-led AIADMK fold.

Despite his return, the continuing internal crisis within the party appears to have pushed him towards the TVK.

According to party sources, Natarajan met TVK general secretary N. Anand late on Wednesday night and enrolled himself in the ruling party.

Speaking to reporters after joining the TVK, Natarajan said the AIADMK had failed to recover from repeated internal divisions and electoral defeats after Jayalalithaa’s demise.

“I have been in the party for a long time. After Jayalalithaa’s death, the party split and has since suffered continuous defeats. I repeatedly suggested that all leaders should sit together and decide the future course collectively, but my views were not accepted. Even after the election, the party split again. All this is not good for the movement,” he said.

Praising the TVK leadership, he added that the party had embraced the ideological legacy of leaders such as Periyar, C.N. Annadurai, M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, which influenced his decision to join the ruling camp.

Natarajan’s move comes at a politically sensitive time, with the AIADMK already facing turbulence after four of its MLAs recently resigned and joined the TVK.

AIADMK MP Dhanpal has demanded a detailed probe by central agencies into the defections, alleging large-scale horse-trading and financial inducements by the ruling party to engineer defections in Tamil Nadu politics.

–IANS

aal/rad