Chennai, July 2 (IANS) Former AIADMK Ministers Dr C. Vijayabaskar and M.R. Vijayabhaskar are set to join the ruling Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) on Thursday along with nearly 15,000 supporters and party functionaries, marking one of the biggest political inductions into the party since it came to power.

The induction ceremony will be held at a private hotel in Mamallapuram, near Chennai. Senior TVK ministers N. Anand and Adhav Arjuna will formally welcome the leaders and their supporters into the party.

The event is expected to witness the joining of several prominent former AIADMK leaders. Among those participating are former Minister S. Valarmathi from Tiruchirappalli, former Minister M.S.M. Anandan from Tiruppur, and former MLAs Manraj (Srivilliputhur), M. Ramkumar (Kumbakonam), Rajavarman (Tiruchirappalli), Sathyan Prabhakar (Paramakudi) and Thirugnanasambandam (Peravurani).

Also joining TVK are district-level leaders including P.K. Vairamuthu (Pudukottai), Ilambai Tamilselvan (Perambalur), Orathanadu M. Sekar (Thanjavur) and Srinivasan (Tiruchirappalli), besides 208 former AIADMK union secretaries.

According to organisers, around 15,000 party functionaries and supporters have travelled to the venue from across Tamil Nadu, including Karur and Pudukottai districts. They reportedly arrived in nearly 200 buses and more than 600 cars, highlighting the scale of the political shift.

In a joint statement issued ahead of their induction, Dr C. Vijayabaskar and M.R. Vijayabhaskar said they had remained loyal to the AIADMK throughout their political careers and stood by the party during some of its most difficult phases.

The two leaders said they had urged AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami to forge an electoral alliance with TVK ahead of the Assembly elections, but alleged that their suggestion was ignored.

They further claimed that Palaniswami instead attempted to become Chief Minister with the support of the DMK, describing any understanding between the AIADMK and the DMK as “unnatural” and contrary to the ideals on which party founder M.G. Ramachandran established the AIADMK.

Expressing disappointment with the party leadership, the former legislators said they had taken the painful decision to quit the AIADMK “with tears in our eyes” and were joining TVK with the belief that it offered a new political direction and an opportunity to continue serving the people of Tamil Nadu.

–IANS

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