Former Jayamkondam MLA J.K.N. Ramajeyalingam of the AIADMK on Friday joined the ruling TVK. In a related development, the AIADMK’s S. Ravi, a former Arakkonam MLA, said he had met TVK leader and Water Resources Minister N. Anand and sought an appointment to join the party.Pugazhendhi, a former AIADMK functionary, also met the Minister at the Secretariat on Friday, and he described it as a courtesy call. He told The Hindu: “I am planning to join the TVK shortly, the details of which I will announce.” The “popular mandate” for the TVK chief C. Joseph Vijay and his keenness to thwart “ ongoing attempts” of the AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami to form a government were the reasons for him to decide in favour of the ruling party, he added.Recently four AIADMK legislators had resigned their Assembly membership and joined the TVK. Likewise former Minister Vellamandi Natarajan had also joined the TVK. Published - May 30, 2026 12:54 am IST
Former AIADMK MLA from Jayamkondam joins TVK
Former AIADMK MLA from Jayamkondam joins TVK. Two others, former Arakonam AIADMK MLA K.S. Ravi and a former party functionary Pugazhendhi, are also planning to join the ruling party.
TL;DRAI
Former AIADMK MLA J.K.N. Ramajeyalingam from Jayamkondam joined Tamil Nadu's ruling TVK, as four other AIADMK legislators had already defected to the same party. The accelerating exodus erodes AIADMK's legislative base and weakens Palaniswami's prospects of forming a government, consolidating TVK's regional dominance.
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