In a significant political development, former Minister Vaithilingam, who was aligned with former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the presence of Chief Minister M. K. Stalin at Anna Arivalayam on Wednesday.
Vaithilingam, who had been supporting O. Panneerselvam’s political efforts under the banner of a united AIADMK, resigned from his MLA post before switching sides. He personally met Assembly Speaker M. Appavu and submitted his resignation letter from the legislature.
The move comes amid a series of defections from the camp backing O. Panneerselvam. Recently, Manoj Pandian resigned from his MLA post and joined the DMK, while J.C.D. Prabhakar aligned himself with the Tamil Maanila Congress.
Vaithilingam’s entry into the DMK is seen as another setback to O. Panneerselvam’s efforts to consolidate support, and a boost to the ruling party ahead of the evolving political scenario in Tamil Nadu.
