Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s ‘Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)’ is set to receive one of its biggest political boosts since being elected in power as a number of prominent leaders from the opposition AIADMK are expected to join the ruling party at a grand induction programme in Mamallapuram.
According to party sources, at least five former AIADMK ministers, about 15 former MLAs, and hundreds of party cadres will likely be inducted into TVK in what is seen as a significant political realignment ahead of the next phase in state politics.
Among those who are likely to join the ruling party are former ministers C. Vijayabaskar, M.R. Vijayabaskar, MSM Anandan and S. Valarmathi, as well as district level office-bearers and grassroots workers of Karur and Pudukkottai districts, and others. Kayalvizhi, daughter of former Union Minister M.K. Alagiri, will also join TVK at the event, sources said.
The latest batch of defections follows an earlier political setback for the AIADMK. In a recent month four former AIADMK ministers - M.C. Sampath, N.R. Sivapathi, Kadambur C. Raju and Udumalai K. Radhakrishnan - joined the ruling party, indicating growing unrest in the opposition after its defeat in the Assembly election.
Political observers believe that some disagreements at AIADMK on how to tackle TVK have led to the removal of senior leaders. More prominent faces will strengthen TVK in a number of districts and put pressure on the main opposition to present.
But the mass defections have also aggravated the political tension on horse trading in Tamil Nadu. AIADMK has repeatedly claimed that the ruling party is engineering defections by paying bribes to opposition leaders and even suggested a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the matter. TVK has always denied these accusations and has said the leaders are only joining the party because they feel confident in the leadership and governance of the party.
And the ruling party has countered that attempts were made to destabilise the Vijay-led government. On Wednesday, a TVK MLA claimed that he was offered ₹35 crore to vote against the Assembly Speaker during a crucial political situation. Three suspects have been identified and the investigation is now about the conspiracy behind the purported bribery attempt.
The investigation has put DMK leader V. Senthil Balaji under investigation and investigators are now examining the man’s links to this case. The issue has since turned into a larger political debate as opposition parties are demanding an independent investigation.
DMK has approached Governor R.N. Ravi Arlekar and has asked for further investigation into whether Chief Minister Joseph Vijay and MDMK leader Vaiko tried to persuade two DMK MLAs to switch allegiance against the state in a bid to sway them to become loyalists in the party. The DMK wants to file a complaint and conduct a full investigation into the alleged political poaching.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu has been far more volatile, with senior opposition leaders still crossing over and competing allegations of inducements dominating the political discourse. The Mamallapuram induction programme will be very much watched not only for the number of defections but also how it will affect the balance of power and the battle of the state’s two main political parties.
