Chennai, Jan 21 Former AIADMK MLA R. Vaithilingam, who recently resigned from his Orathanadu Assembly seat, formally joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Wednesday in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin.
The induction took place at the DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, marking another high-profile political defection from the opposition camp.
Vaithilingam's political career has closely mirrored the internal upheavals within the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) over the past several years.
He had also served as Housing Minister in the Tamil Nadu government.
Once a trusted loyalist of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, he initially aligned himself with V. K. Sasikala when the AIADMK split following Jayalalithaa's death.
After Edappadi K. Palaniswami became Chief Minister, Vaithilingam shifted his support to him and functioned as a dependable supporter within the party.
During a critical phase of factional conflict, he played a notable role in efforts to bring together Palaniswami and O. Panneerselvam, contributing to their temporary reunion and joint leadership arrangement.
However, the unity did not last long. Fresh leadership disputes soon surfaced within the AIADMK, eventually leading Palaniswami to part ways politically with Panneerselvam.
Vaithilingam has since extended his support to O. Panneerselvam and has been a trusted supporter.
Despite Palaniswami's post-parliamentary election attempts to reunify the party and consolidate leadership, those efforts failed, deepening divisions and weakening organisational coherence.
In recent months, the DMK has benefited from these fissures.
Manoj Pandian, a prominent follower of Panneerselvam, recently joined the DMK after resigning as MLA.
Vaithilingam's entry into the ruling party follows a similar trajectory.
Widely regarded as one of Panneerselvam's strong and influential supporters, Vaithilingam's decision to cross over is seen as politically significant. His induction into the DMK is being interpreted as part of a broader realignment of forces ahead of the next Assembly elections, further strengthening the DMK while highlighting the continuing fragmentation within the AIADMK.
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