Former MP P. Venugopal quits AIADMK

Former MP P. Venugopal, who was elected to the Lok Sabha twice from Tiruvallur constituency, quit the AIADMK on Sunday (May 24, 2026). Mr. Venugopal held key positions in the party in the medical wing since inception and had also served as the AIADMK’s Parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha.

In a press release dated May 18, Mr. Venugopal said there were various “political and social factors” behind the setbacks being faced by the AIADMK. Since the passing of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, the support of the Scheduled Caste community to the party has been declining, he said adding this was one of the primary reasons for the party’s electoral defeats.

If the AIADMK had to re-emerge as a strong party, it was necessary to develop a common political approach that would include all sections of the party, said Mr. Venugopal. Recently, former Minister S. Semmalai and former Speaker P. Dhanapal had quit the party.

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Mr. Venugopal said the party’s general secretary (Edappadi K. Palaniswami) should use better judgment. “A person who is a Rajya Sabha MP is given a ticket to contest (Assembly polls) without thinking what will happen if he wins the MLA seat.”

Rajya Sabha berths, he claimed, were given to senior party functionaries during Jayalalithaa’s time.