Chennai, June 16 (IANS) AIADMK’s Viralimala MLA and former Tamil Nadu Minister C. Vijayabaskar on Tuesday resigned from the Assembly, triggering fresh political speculation over his future course and dealing another setback to the party’s strength in the House.

Vijayabaskar submitted his resignation letter to Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar, who later confirmed that the resignation had been accepted.

The development comes after the AIADMK witnessed internal turmoil following a split between supporters of party General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) and a faction led by senior leader and former minister S.P. Velumani.

The rift had emerged after a group of AIADMK legislators, aligned with the Velumani camp, extended support to the ruling TVK-led coalition in the Assembly. The dispute eventually led to intense political negotiations before the rival camps formally reunited.

However, differences appeared to persist among some senior leaders.

Vijayabaskar had earlier indicated that he would take a decision based on the wishes of the people of his Viralimala constituency. His resignation follows a series of cryptic social media posts that were widely interpreted as criticism of the AIADMK leadership.

On Monday, he wrote on X that leaderships which view hardworking and honest party workers as adversaries and treat questioning as a crime cannot succeed. “History remembers not how many people were expelled, but how many were united and how many regions were won,” he said.

In another post on Tuesday morning, Vijayabaskar questioned whether a leadership that could not win the hearts of dedicated party workers could hope to win the confidence of the public. He also stressed that genuine political journeys cannot thrive in an environment where emotions and sentiments are not respected.

Although Vijayabaskar has not officially announced his next political move, reports suggest that he may continue his association with the TVK-led political camp.

There has been no formal confirmation from either side.

His resignation marks the fifth MLA resignation from the AIADMK since the 2026 Assembly election. Earlier, Maragatham Kumaravel, Jayakumar, Sathyabama and Isakki Subbiah had resigned their Assembly memberships before joining rival political formations. With Vijayabaskar’s exit, the AIADMK’s strength in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly has come down to 42 MLAs, further weakening the party’s position as it attempts to rebuild after its disappointing performance in the 2026 elections.

–IANS

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