21 AIADMK MLAs Retain Assembly Membership as Speaker Drops Defection Case

Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar on Tuesday announced that no action would be taken against 21 AIADMK legislators who voted in support of the ruling TVK government during the trust vote held on May 13, bringing an end to a major political controversy that had threatened to deepen divisions within the opposition party.

Speaking to reporters at the State Secretariat, the Speaker said the decision was taken after AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) formally requested that proceedings against the rebel MLAs be dropped. Following a review of the request, the Assembly decided not to pursue disqualification proceedings against the legislators.

The move comes in the wake of a recent reconciliation between rival factions within the AIADMK . The party leadership had earlier sought action against the legislators after they defied the party whip during the confidence motion for the newly formed TVK government led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay .

During the crucial floor test, 25 of the AIADMK's 47 MLAs voted in favour of the government, triggering a serious internal crisis within the party. The rebellion, led by senior leaders including former ministers S.P. Velumani and C. Ve. Shanmugam , resulted in the formation of a separate faction and prompted demands for action under anti-defection provisions .

With the Speaker's latest decision, the 21 MLAs who backed the government will continue as members of the Tamil Nadu Assembly without facing any disciplinary action.

However, the Speaker indicated that proceedings concerning four former AIADMK legislators S. Sathyabama, Esakki Subaya, S. Jayakumar and Maragatham Kumaravel are being handled separately. The four had resigned from the party and later joined the ruling TVK.

Their resignations have already been accepted, and the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been informed. The constituencies represented by the four former legislators have been declared vacant and are expected to go to by-elections .

The decision marks a significant step toward restoring unity within the AIADMK while removing the immediate threat of disqualification hanging over the rebel lawmakers.