Chennai: The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu will not proactively pursue defections from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, though the party will evaluate the situation if opposition legislators decide to switch sides due to internal party differences, state health minister K G Arunraj said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters at Kilpauk Medical College in Chennai, Arunraj clarified that the TVK does not maintain specific targets or missions for absorbing opposition lawmakers. He noted that if MLAs choose to reject their leadership because of internal factors and approach the TVK, the party will assess the situation in due course.
The minister's comments arrived a day after the Madras High Court sustained Assembly Speaker J C D Prabhakar's choice to accept the resignations of AIADMK legislators who transitioned to the TVK following the recent Assembly elections.
A division bench composed of Chief Justice S A Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan supported the Speaker's acceptance, determining that his primary obligation was to verify the voluntary and genuine nature of the resignations. Legal challenges had been brought forward by AIADMK whip Agri Krishnamurthy and Ravi of the National People’s Power Party, who argued that the resignations were processed on May 25 without sufficient scrutiny on the same day the lawmakers aligned with the TVK.
The petitioners also maintained that the AIADMK should have received an opportunity to contest the resignations under Article 190 of the Constitution. While affirming the Speaker's action, the court noted that ongoing disqualification proceedings against the legislators may proceed.
The political friction follows the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results declared on May 4, where the TVK captured 108 seats, falling short of the 118 required for a majority before securing external legislative support to form a government under Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
During a confidence vote on May 13, the administration garnered 144 votes despite an AIADMK whip ordering members to vote against the motion, which resulted in 25 MLAs supporting the government and the subsequent launch of disqualification proceedings on May 14.
After certain legislators apologized and saw proceedings dropped, the remaining MLAs resigned on May 25 prior to joining the TVK, prompting intense legal debates regarding the validity of the departures and anti-defection regulations.
The high court explained that an accepted resignation does not automatically dismiss pending disqualification matters tied to prior conduct. Under Article 190, a Speaker must ensure a resignation is voluntary, while the Tenth Schedule governs disqualification for abandoning party membership or defying a whip, leading the court to instruct the Speaker to wrap up the pending inquiries within two months.
Meanwhile, AIADMK defectors Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabhama successfully contested subsequent by-elections under the TVK banner in Maduranthakam and Dharapuram to retain their seats, prompting Chief Minister Vijay to hail the outcome as a triumph for democratic principles achieved without voter bribery.