AIADMK split: TN Speaker drops action against 21 MLAs, proceedings continue against 4

Chennai, June 9 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker J.C.T. Prabhakar on Tuesday announced that disciplinary proceedings against 21 AIADMK legislators who backed the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government during last month’s trust vote have been dropped after the party leadership accepted their explanations and apology.

The development comes in connection with the trust vote held in the 234-member Assembly on May 13, in which the TVK government secured a comfortable victory.

The motion was passed with 144 votes in favour and 22 against, while five members abstained.

The main opposition DMK staged a walkout during the proceedings.

Significantly, 25 AIADMK legislators voted in support of the government, triggering a political controversy within the opposition party. Following the vote, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had petitioned the Speaker seeking the disqualification of the 25 MLAs under anti-defection provisions.

Addressing reporters at the Secretariat on Tuesday, Speaker Prabhakar said he had received four separate communications from Palaniswami regarding the matter. After examining the correspondence, it became clear that the AIADMK leadership had decided to accept the explanations submitted by 21 of the legislators and pardon them for their conduct during the trust vote, he added.

“As stated in the letter sent by Edappadi K. Palaniswami on May 13, 2026, I am accepting the apology of the members concerned and dropping all further proceedings against them,” Prabhakar said.

However, the Speaker noted that the AIADMK chief had requested action against the remaining four legislators, whose explanations were not accepted by the party leadership.

Based on that request, formal proceedings have been initiated against AIADMK MLAs S. Jayakumar, Maragatham Kumaravel, Sathyabama, and Isakki Subbiah.

Prabhakar said the nature of the action to be taken against the four legislators would be announced later, after due process is completed.

The decision effectively ends the disqualification threat against the majority of the rebel AIADMK legislators who supported the government during the trust vote, while leaving the political future of the remaining four members uncertain. The episode highlights continuing tensions within the AIADMK in the aftermath of the confidence motion that strengthened the TVK government’s position in the Assembly.

–IANS

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