Former AIADMK Minister Vellamandi Natarajan joins TVK

Vellamandi Natarajan, who served as the Tourism Minister during the AIADMK regime, has joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the presence of N. Anand, general secretary of the party.

Hailing from Tiruchi, Mr. Natarajan had been with the AIADMK for a long time. Having contested and won the Tiruchi East Assembly constituency in 2016, he served as the Tourism Minister. When the party split after the demise of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, he had sided with O. Panneerselvam. However, with Mr. Panneerselvam joining the DMK before the 2026 Assembly election, Mr. Natarajan accepted the leadership of Edappadi K. Palaniswami and rejoined the AIADMK.

Against this backdrop, he met Mr. Anand at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday (May 27, 2026) night and officially joined the TVK.

Speaking to The Hindu, he said, “I have been in the party for a long time. After Jayalalithaa’s demise, the party split. Following that, it has been a string of continuous defeats. I suggested that everyone in the party should sit together, discuss, and decide on the next course of action. However, they did not accept it. After the election, the AIADMK split into two. All of this is not right. As far as the TVK is concerned, they have accepted all our leaders, including Periyar, Anna, MGR, and Jayalalithaa. That is why I have come and joined here.”