CHENNAI: R Vaithilingam, a longtime supporter of former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, joined the DMK on Wednesday after meeting Chief Minister MK Stalin at the party headquarters in Chennai.
Vaithilingam, who represented the Orathanadu Assembly constituency, resigned from the State Assembly before joining the DMK, submitting his resignation to the Speaker’s office at the State Secretariat.
Another former MLA, Kunnam Ramachandran, also a supporter of Panneerselvam, has indicated he will join the DMK soon. Former Minister Vellamandi Natarajan remains the only senior leader still with Panneerselvam, though sources said he, too, may join the DMK in the near future.
Speaking to reporters after joining the party, Vaithilingam said the delay by Panneerselvam in taking a decision on his political stance ahead of the Assembly elections prompted his move. He also indicated that several others, likely from AIADMK would join the DMK at a public meeting scheduled in Thanjavur soon.
Panneerselvam, a three-time Chief Minister who had waged a legal battle against AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami to keep the party united, now stands effectively isolated. Former MLAs Manoj Pandian, A. Subburathinam, and poet Marudhu Azhaguraj had also joined the DMK earlier.