No disqualification: Speaker's relief for 21 rebel AIADMK MLAs who backed TVK

Published 9 June 2026 · india

In yet another setback to AIADMK General Secretary Edapaddi K Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu Speaker JCD Prabhakar on Tuesday dismissed the motion seeking disqualification of 21

In yet another setback to AIADMK General Secretary Edapaddi K Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu Speaker JCD Prabhakar on Tuesday dismissed the motion seeking disqualification of 21 party MLAs who had voted for Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay during the May 13 trust vote. For the uninitiated, at least 25 AIADMK MLAs of the camp led by "rebel" leaders Shanmugam and SP Velumani had voted in favour of the Vijay-led TVK, taking its eventual tally in the Assembly from 119 to 144, ensuring a comfortable majority for the actor-turned-politician. Read Full Story On the other hand, the remaining 22 MLAs loyal to E Palaniswami voted against Vijay, confirming an open split within the party folds.

The development significantly weakened Palaniswami's position, leaving only 22 MLAs firmly in his camp. However, five among the AIADMK rebels had shifted their allegiance back to party chief EPS. With this, the number of MLAs backing Palaniswami in the Assembly rose to 27. Meanwhile, despite the rebellion, the dissident legislators did not have enough numbers to formally merge with TVK under the anti-defection law, which required the support of at least two-thirds of a legislature party. In AIADMK's case, that threshold stood at 31 MLAs, leaving the rebel group short of the required strength. Following that, rival party factions approached Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar, each seeking the disqualification of the other's MLAs under the anti-defection law.

Notably, four of the 25 MLAs who had voted for TVK during the confidence motion formally joined the Vijay-led party just days ago. TAMIL NADU ELECTIONS In the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the AIADMK secured 47 seats, while Vijay-led TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, falling short of the majority mark on its own. TVK subsequently formed the government with support from Congress, IUML, VCK and Left parties. The political landscape shifted further when a group of AIADMK rebel legislators extended support to the ruling coalition, triggering speculation about a possible split within the opposition party. However, senior AIADMK leader SP Velumani sought to dispel such concerns later, stating that neither he nor fellow rebel leader Shanmugam intended to divide the party.

Reaffirming loyalty to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, Velumani said the party should focus on reviving the legacy of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's "Amma rule". He also clarified that the rebel camp had never sought positions in the Vijay government, which notably did not allocate any Cabinet berths to rebel AIADMK MLAs during its recent ministry expansion. Ends