Chennai, Aug 13 Dr V. Maitreyan’s political career is a study in adaptability -- a journey that has taken him from the ideological world of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to the power corridors of Delhi, from being a BJP state president to a three-term AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP, and now, a new recruit in the DMK.
Born into a well-known Chennai family, Maitreyan trained as a medical oncologist and earned respect in the medical field before entering politics.
His early political grooming came through the RSS, and in 1991, he joined the BJP as an executive member of its Tamil Nadu unit.
Over the decade that followed, he rose steadily in the party's state unit -- general secretary (1995-97), vice president (1997-99), and briefly president in 1999. That year, he clashed with the party high command over its decision to ally with the DMK for the 1999 Lok Sabha elections. Suspended for anti-party activities, he resigned from the BJP in July 1999 and joined the AIADMK, then led by J. Jayalalithaa.
Maitreyan quickly became one of Jayalalithaa’s trusted lieutenants in Delhi. In 2002, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha to fill the vacancy caused by the death of veteran leader G.K. Moopanar, and was re-nominated in 2007 and 2013.
In Parliament, Maitreyan was respected for his calm, articulate interventions, often representing the AIADMK’s position on national issues with discipline and clarity.
The political landscape shifted dramatically after Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016. Maitreyan sided with O. Panneerselvam in his leadership battle against Edappadi K. Palaniswami, a decision that led to his marginalisation.
In 2022, he was expelled from the AIADMK. On June 9, 2023, Maitreyan returned to the BJP and, by August, was inducted into its national executive committee. Yet, his second BJP stint was short-lived -- on September 12, 2024, he quit the party and rejoined the AIADMK in the presence of EPS.
A few months later, on January 28, 2025, he was appointed as AIADMK Organising Secretary. But, on Wednesday, in a move that surprised even some political insiders, Maitreyan walked into 'Anna Arivalayam' and joined the DMK, greeted by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
Speaking after his induction, he praised the DMK’s “inclusive and development-oriented” governance and expressed readiness to “contribute meaningfully” to the party’s vision.
Through the twists and turns, Maitreyan has cultivated a political persona marked by loyalty to allies, quiet organisational work, and a preference for negotiation over confrontation.
To his critics, frequent party shifts reveal political opportunism; to his supporters, they reflect strategic adaptability in Tamil Nadu’s volatile political arena. Either way, Maitreyan’s latest switch adds yet another chapter to a career defined by reinvention.
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