Tamil Nadu Bypolls: How 10 More AIADMK MLAs Could Bring Vijay’s TVK Within Touching Distance of a Majority
Tamil Nadu’s political landscape could be headed for another major shake-up, with reports suggesting that around 10 more AIADMK MLAs are likely to resign from the Assembly and join Chief Minister Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
According to The Indian Express, the legislators have reportedly been assured TVK tickets for the by-elections expected later this year. If the move materialises, it could significantly strengthen Vijay’s position and bring his party within striking distance of an outright majority in the 234-member Assembly.
- TVK Inches Closer to Majority
- The majority mark in the Tamil Nadu Assembly is 118 seats.
TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the 2026 Assembly election with 108 seats. After Vijay vacated one of the two constituencies he had won, the party’s effective strength fell to 107 MLAs.
The government currently enjoys a comfortable majority with the support of Congress (5 MLAs) and outside backing from the CPI, CPI(M), VCK and IUML, taking the ruling alliance’s strength to 120.
However, Vijay has reportedly been working to ensure TVK secures a majority on its own rather than relying on coalition partners.
Why the 10 MLAs Matter
AIADMK, which initially won 47 seats, has already witnessed several resignations, reducing its effective strength to 41 MLAs.
If another 10 legislators resign, the opposition party’s tally would fall to 31. Should all of them contest the bypolls on TVK tickets and emerge victorious, TVK’s strength would increase from 107 to 117 seats—just one seat short of the majority mark.
One more crossover or bypoll win thereafter would allow TVK to cross the 118-seat threshold and govern without depending on alliance arithmetic.
- AIADMK’s Internal Crisis
- The turmoil within AIADMK began soon after the 2026 Assembly election.
Although the party became the principal opposition with 47 MLAs, divisions surfaced during the trust vote, when 25 AIADMK legislators reportedly defied the party leadership and voted in favour of the Vijay government.
The rebellion was led by senior leaders SP Velumani and CVe Shanmugam, both of whom questioned the leadership of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) following the party’s electoral setback.
The political exodus gathered pace as several MLAs resigned from both the Assembly and the party before joining TVK. Former ministers, including C. Vijayabaskar and M.R. Vijayabhaskar, also switched allegiance, followed by several senior AIADMK functionaries.
EPS Struggles to Halt Exodus
In an attempt to stem the defections, EPS introduced organisational changes and announced new appointments aimed at placating dissatisfied leaders.
Despite these efforts, reports suggest nearly 10 rebel MLAs rejected the offered positions, indicating that reconciliation attempts have failed to stop the growing unrest within the party.
The continued departures have also intensified concerns among AIADMK cadres over the party’s ability to retain its position as Tamil Nadu’s principal opposition.
What Lies Ahead?
For now, Vijay’s government remains stable with the backing of its allies. However, the reported induction of more AIADMK legislators points to a broader strategy of consolidating TVK’s independent strength in the Assembly.
If the anticipated resignations are followed by successful bypoll victories, TVK would be just one seat away from an outright majority, while AIADMK would suffer another major setback, further weakening the opposition only months after the Assembly election.
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