Chennai, June 29:
Amid a continuing exodus of senior leaders following successive electoral setbacks, the Opposition AIADMK suffered another major blow on Monday with party strongman and former Tamil Nadu Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabaskar resigning as MLA.
Popularly known as MRV within party circles, Vijayabaskar was elected from the Karur Assembly constituency in the April 23 elections, marking his second term. He had first won in 2016 and was inducted as Minister by late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. He later lost the seat to DMK’s V. Senthilbalaji in 2021 before regaining it in the recent polls.
Vijayabaskar, one of the 25 rebel MLAs who supported the TVK government during the confidence vote moved by Chief Minister Vijay, submitted his resignation letter to Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar at the Secretariat. The Speaker accepted the handwritten resignation as per Assembly norms.
He becomes the sixth sitting MLA to resign, with five others already joining the ruling TVK. Reports suggest Vijayabaskar may also follow suit. His resignation further weakens the AIADMK’s strength in the Assembly, reducing it from 47 to 41.
With the Karur seat now vacant, the Assembly Secretariat will inform the Election Commission for conducting a bypoll. In total, seven seats have fallen vacant within a month of the election results—six due to AIADMK resignations and one following the Chief Minister vacating Tiruchy East after retaining Perambur.
Vijayabaskar holds considerable influence in Karur, the hometown of DMK leader Senthilbalaji, who shifted to Coimbatore South this election.
The AIADMK has been grappling with internal turmoil since the polls, beginning with 25 MLAs defying the party whip to support the government. While four rebels resigned and joined TVK, the remaining faction led by General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami sought action under anti-defection laws.
Amid disqualification threats, factions temporarily reconciled, leading to withdrawal of proceedings against 21 MLAs, though action continued against four others. The party also approached the Madras High Court challenging the Speaker’s acceptance of resignations and seeking to stall by-elections.
However, dissent persisted. Former Ministers C.Ve. Shanmugam and Dr. C. Vijayabaskar distanced themselves from the leadership, with the latter resigning earlier this month. MRV’s exit now adds to the growing instability.
Sources indicate Vijayabaskar was unhappy after being removed as district secretary and reassigned as propaganda secretary, and his demand to regain the post was reportedly rejected. Against this backdrop, his resignation marks another setback for the AIADMK, which continues to face mounting internal challenges and defections.