Split AIADMK? The anti-EPS faction supports Vijay and praises the MLA’s “majority”.

Actor-turned-politician Vijay’s astonishing political rise has sparked a full-fledged internal crisis within the AIADMK, with rival camps now openly fighting over whether to support the new Tamil Nadu government or continue under the leadership of party president Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Just days after Vijay was sworn in as chief minister, a major faction within the AIADMK openly extended its support to his government, exposing deep divisions in the party that once dominated Tamil Nadu politics.

The faction led by senior AIADMK leaders CV Shanmugam and SP Velumani, on Tuesday announced its support for the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government. “The people’s mandate is not for TVK. The mandate is for Vijay to become the Prime Minister,” Shanmugam said while congratulating the new Prime Minister and extending support to the government.

The faction also claimed that a majority of the party’s 47 members were supporting them, and not party president Edappadi K Palaniswami. While the BSP retained the support of only about 20-22 legislators, most of the MLAs preferred to extend support to the Vijay-led TVK government in the interest of political stability, the camp asserted.

In contrast, Vijay’s TVK surprised political observers by emerging as the largest single party with 108 seats in the 234-member assembly.

At the post-result stage, the TVK was still short of the majority mark despite support from the Congress and allies, leading to intense political negotiations across Tamil Nadu.

The defeat intensified calls within the AIADMK for a change in leadership, with several leaders and MLAs blaming the EPS for the party’s declining electoral fortunes.

According to party insiders, one faction opposed providing any support to the TVK government, while another favored providing external support to ensure political stability in the state.

Reports indicate that as many as 28 AIADMK MLAs held a closed-door meeting in Chennai urging the party leadership to support the Vijay-led government.

Adding to the political drama, some lawmakers were flown to a resort in neighboring Puducherry district for three days amid fears of defections and pressure tactics – a familiar strategy in Tamil Nadu politics.

In the wake of the fractured governance, there has been widespread buzz in Tamil Nadu’s political circles over a possible post-poll understanding between the AIADMK and the DMK – a scenario that many have described as “almost unthinkable” given the decades-old rivalry between the two Dravidian giants.

Amid Vijay’s battle to gather numbers, speculation has emerged that the AIADMK and DMK could explore a temporary arrangement, with smaller parties emerging as potential kingmakers in the battle to form the government.

This possibility gained momentum after reports suggested that if the 47 AIADMK legislators and 59 DMK legislators come together, they may try to prevent TVK from seizing power with the support of minor parties.

DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan publicly denied the possibility of an alliance but added that the final decision would rest with party president MK Stalin.

Shanmugam later claimed that the EPS was open to allying with the DMK to form the government – a claim that widened the cracks within the AIADMK.

Reports indicated that Shanmugam was strongly opposed to any interaction with the DMK, and speculation eventually pushed his camp towards supporting Vijay and the TVK government.

Former AIADMK leader KC Palanisamy warned that the party may see more MLAs drifting towards TVK if EPS continues as leader.

“There is a clear division within the party. Many party members want a change in leadership,” he said, while urging Palaniswami to step down voluntarily to save the party from further damage.

However, EPS showed no signs of stepping down and continued to chair party meetings despite the growing rebellion.

Traditionally, AIADMK legislators enter the Assembly together as a united bloc. However, this time, the MLAs arrived in two separate groups – one led by EPS and the other led by Shanmugam and Velumani.

The two camps also sat separately inside the House of Representatives and left the place independently, increasing speculation of an imminent split in the party.

There were also reports that both factions separately submitted letters to the Speaker in favor of naming different leaders of the legislative party, although these allegations could not be independently verified.

Now, Vijay’s victory appears to have accelerated the crisis within the AIADMK, with one faction seeing cooperation with TVK as politically necessary, while another faction remains determined to preserve the party’s identity and rebuild independently.