AIADMK fractures on floor test day: Velumani-Shanmugam bloc of 30 MLAs backs TVK; EPS issues whip

In the most consequential internal rupture in the AIADMK's four-decade history, a rebel bloc of 30 MLAs led by former ministers S.P. Velumani and C.Ve. Shanmugam formally declared their support for the TVK government on the morning of the confidence vote. The group cited "prevention of political instability and service to the people of Tamil Nadu" as the basis for their decision.

Velumani addressed a press conference outside the Assembly before the session commenced: "We were elected to serve the people of our constituencies. Voting against a stable government that has the people's mandate is not in their interest. Our allegiance is to Tamil Nadu first, and to party discipline second." The statement drew immediate censure from the main AIADMK camp.

EPS retaliated swiftly. He issued a formal party whip to all AIADMK MLAs — including the rebel faction — directing them to vote against the confidence motion. Palaniswami accused the TVK of "blatant horse-trading and the subversion of democratic norms," adding that formal expulsion proceedings would be initiated against every MLA who defied the whip.

The split effectively ends any prospect of AIADMK reunification in the near term and reshapes the opposition landscape entirely. Tamil Nadu politics has entered a new phase — one where the traditional Dravidian duopoly no longer holds.