Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar accepts resignation of 3 AIADMK MLAs
Chennai, May 25
Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar on Monday accepted the resignations of three AIADMK MLAs, Sathyabama, Maragatham Kumaravel, and Jayakumar.
Speaking to reporters, the Assembly Speaker said that the resignations were found to be in order as per Assembly rules and were submitted in person.
"Dharapuram MLA Sathyabama, Madhuranthakam MLA Maragatham Kumaravel, and Perundurai MLA Jayakumar have formally submitted letters resigning from their positions as Members of the Legislative Assembly with effect from today. Since the resignations were found to be in order as per Assembly rules, they have been accepted. MLAs must submit their resignation letters in their own handwriting and present them personally, without sending them through others. If this procedure is not followed, an inquiry may be conducted. As they submitted the letters directly in person, a decision was taken immediately," JCD Prabhakar said.
The three MLAs had tendered their resignation today and also met Tamil Nadu Minister and TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna to join hands with the party.
Bye-elections will be held for Madurantakam, Dharapuram and Perundurai constituencies, along with Trichy East, from where Chief Minister Vijay had tendered his resignation after winning two seats.
Maragatham Kumaravel, Sathyabama, and Jayakumar had won Madurantakam, Dharapuram and Perundurai seats, respectively, in the Assembly elections.
In response to a question regarding the status of the 25 MLAs who voted in support of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) during the trust vote, the Speaker said, "All petitions are currently pending, and I will examine them and announce a decision later. There is no deadline for announcing who the party whip is. I will review the matter and make an official announcement in due course."
When asked about the "horse-trading" allegations, Prabhakar said, "I can only examine whether the submitted letters comply with the rules or not. I cannot comment on what happens outside."
The AIADMK has been facing an internal rift since the Assembly elections. Vijay's floor test turned into an ADMK versus ADMK showdown after 25 of the party MLAs led by CV Shanmugam voted for the TVK. Although the CM Vijay-led TVK had the support of 119 MLAs, it passed the floor test with 144 votes.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is classic Tamil Nadu politics. AIADMK has been splintering since Amma's time. The floor test showed 25 MLAs voting for TVK - that's a clear sign. At least they formally resigned instead of continuing as "rebels". But the real question is: will voters punish TVK for accepting defectors? In TN, it's always about local equations.
The Speaker's response on "horse-trading" allegations is telling - "I can only examine letters, not what happens outside." The system is designed to catch procedural issues, not the murky transactions happening behind closed doors. Bye-elections are expensive and time-consuming. Meanwhile, the party whip issue remains unresolved - 25 MLAs voting against their own party creates chaos.
Watching this from abroad but with family roots in TN - this is fascinating. The floor test result with 144 votes for TVK despite needing only 119 shows how fluid party loyalties are. But I worry about the precedent: MLAs switching parties mid-term undermines democratic mandate. At least these three submitted properly - unlike some other cases we've seen.
The fact that 25 AIADMK MLAs voted for TVK shows the party is in deep trouble. But the Speaker's delay on the whip issue is concerning - it allows more confusion. These bye-elections will cost crores of taxpayers' money. Politicians need to remember they are servants of the people, not chameleons changing colors for power. 😠
Respectfully, this is disappointing. These MLAs were elected on AIADMK tickets. If
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