Chennai, May 26 (IANS) In a further setback for the AIADMK amid growing internal turmoil, its Ambasamudram MLA Esakki Subbaiah on Tuesday resigned from the Assembly, becoming the fourth party legislator to step down following the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Subbaiah’s resignation comes amid indications that he is likely to join the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), further escalating the crisis within the opposition party.

The lawmaker met Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar to submit his resignation letter.

According to sources, the Speaker initially declined to accept the typed resignation letter and asked him to submit it in his own handwriting. Following the instructions, Subbaiah wrote and submitted a handwritten resignation letter, which was subsequently accepted.

His resignation adds to the mounting troubles within the AIADMK, which has increasingly appeared divided after the Assembly elections.

The party’s legislators have broadly split into two camps — one loyal to party General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) and another aligned with senior leader C. Ve. Shanmugam. The division became more visible during the Assembly trust vote, when the Shanmugam faction supported the TVK government, a move that triggered strong opposition from the EPS-led faction.

A day before, three AIADMK legislators who had backed the TVK government resigned from the Assembly. The MLAs are Sathyabama from Dharapuram (Reserved) constituency in Tiruppur district, Jayakumar from Perundurai constituency in Erode district, and Maragatham Kumaravel from Madurantakam constituency in Chengalpattu district.

All three submitted their resignation letters to Speaker Prabhakar and later joined the TVK in the presence of senior party leader Aadhav Arjuna.

With Subbaiah’s exit, the speculation over possible further defections from the party has intensified.

Subbaiah is a prominent leader with considerable political experience. Winning Ambasamudram in the recent Assembly elections by a margin of 10,245 votes, he had previously won the constituency in the 2011 and 2021 Assembly elections and also served as a minister in the Jayalalithaa-led government.

–IANS

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