Chennai, 29 June (H.S.):The AIADMK suffered another major setback on Monday after Karur MLA and former Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabaskar resigned from the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, becoming the latest legislator to quit the party amid continuing political realignments following the 2026 Assembly elections.

Vijayabaskar submitted his handwritten resignation letter to Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar, formally relinquishing his Assembly membership. While there has been no official announcement, political sources indicated that he is expected to join the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the coming days.

His resignation comes at a time when the AIADMK is grappling with a steady erosion of its legislative strength after the Assembly polls. The election resulted in a fractured mandate, with the TVK emerging as the single largest party by winning 108 seats. Though short of a majority, the party formed the government with the support of its allies. The DMK emerged as the principal Opposition, while the AIADMK slipped to third position.

In the immediate aftermath of the election, concerns over possible defections prompted the AIADMK leadership to house its newly elected MLAs at a resort in Puducherry. Around the same time, senior leaders, including former ministers S.P. Velumani, C.V. Shanmugam and C. Vijayabaskar, were perceived to be functioning as a separate group within the party. Although the Velumani faction later reconciled with AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, speculation over the future of some senior leaders continued.

Over the past few weeks, several AIADMK legislators, including Maragatham Kumaravel, Jayakumar, Sathyabama and Isakki Subbiah, resigned from the Assembly before joining the TVK.

With M.R. Vijayabaskar's exit, the AIADMK has lost yet another prominent leader and former minister, highlighting the continuing political churn within the party. His anticipated induction into the ruling TVK is expected to further bolster the government's strength in the Assembly while presenting fresh organisational and political challenges for the AIADMK leadership.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman