Fresh blow to AIADMK: Three former ministers set to join Vijay's TVK

The AIADMK is set to suffer another setback on Thursday. The party's three former ministers -- Dr C Vijayabaskar, M R Vijayabaskar and M S M Anandan -- are set to join the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), marking the latest high-profile defections to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's party.

The induction will take place at a party event in Mamallapuram, around 57 km from Chennai. Hundreds of supporters from Pudukkottai and Karur districts have arrived to participate in the programme.

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'Decision was not made in haste'

Ahead of formally joining the TVK, former health minister Dr C Vijayabaskar said the move followed extensive consultations with his supporters, district office-bearers and people from his Viralimalai Assembly constituency.

The decision, he said, "was not made in haste" but was taken after they "unanimously" expressed a desire for political change.

He blamed his exit on the "wrong decisions" of the present AIADMK leadership.

Former transport minister M R Vijayabaskar is also set to join the TVK along with his supporters from Karur.

'Future of Tamil Nadu politics is in TVK'

Former minister M S M Anandan, who quit the AIADMK after 45 years in the party, said he had become deeply dissatisfied with its current leadership.

He accused AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami of turning the party into a "self-centered" organisation that ignored the concerns and hard work of loyal cadres.

Anandan said he saw the future of Tamil Nadu politics in the TVK and expressed confidence in Chief Minister Vijay's leadership and the party's ability to provide effective governance over the next five years.

Rejecting allegations of horse-trading, he said he and others were joining the party voluntarily because they believed in the movement and not due to "any external pressure or corrupt influence."

Along with the former ministers, Valarmathi from Tiruchirappalli and district secretaries P K Vairamuthu, Ilambai Tamilselvan, Orathanadu Sekar and Trichy Srinivasan are also expected to join the TVK.

Horse-trading row, charges against DMK

The defections come a day after TVK minister R Nirmal Kumar alleged that the DMK leadership had attempted to lure TVK legislators through horse-trading.

He claimed three people had been arrested after a TVK MLA complained that he had been offered ₹35 crore in return for his "cooperation" during a proposed Assembly resolution.

According to Kumar, one of the arrested accused, Naresh, was in "close touch" with "DMK leader V Senthilbalaji and his brother Ashok".

Police said the accused had contacted TVK MLA N Ilayaraja, who rejected the alleged offer. A police release said the accused later allegedly threatened the MLA and his family if the conversation was made public.

Kumar also alleged that for the past 40 days, the DMK and AIADMK leaderships had been trying to form the government through a "short-cut", an allegation that has added to the political confrontation in the state

(With inputs from PTI)