Former AIADMK MLA VR Karthik Thondaiman on Wednesday switched over to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin. Karthik Thondaiman justified that AIADMK is "not on right path" and blamed his erstwhile party for "promoting religious propaganda". "AIADMK not on the right path. I have a different opinion on how AIADMK is functioning. It has started to encourage religious propaganda," Thondaiman stated after joining DMK.
Thondaiman was inducted into the party in the presence of CM Stalin, DMK Principal Secretary KN Nehru, Organising Secretary RS Bharathi, Minister S Ragupathy and party spokesperson TKS Elangovan, a release said.
This is an important boost to the DMK's strength in Pudukkottai in the run-up to the 2026 state assembly election. Earlier, CM Stalin had a meeting with Vaiko, the chief of Marumalarchi DMK, to ensure that the coalition against the BJP and AIADMK is intact.
Vaiko stated his party was in favour of the DMK-front alliance in the State after meeting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
He also claimed that Hindutva elements, such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), would never be permitted to impose their dominance over Tamil Nadu.
Also read: True AIADMK workers unhappy with BJP alliance: CM Stalin
We stand by the alliance. In Periyar and Anna's soil, we shall never let the Hindutva forces-RSS and Bharatiya Janata Party in Tamil Nadu. We shall fight till the last," Vaiko informed the media.
"There won't be a coalition government. Tamil Nadu will neither choose nor accept it. There will be a categorical majority for the DMK in the next assembly elections. DMK shall come to power on its own categorical majority.
Earlier, DMK leader TKS Elangovan trained guns at Tamil Nadu assembly LoP Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), calling him the "slave of the BJP".
Responding to the resignation of ousted All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) from the NDA alliance, Elangovan explained that EPS does not want anything to happen to him or his family and believes that his leadership would be "diluted" if individuals like OPS stay in the party.
"The BJP should have assumed that since EPS is with them, he would never accept OPS or something like that. When the Prime Minister came, he did not meet OPS, which may also be the reason. He doesn’t want them to come back to AIADMK. He feels that if these individuals come back, his leadership will be threatened. EPS is no longer a leader; he is now a slave of the BJP," the DMK leader said
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