Former AIADMK Minister Semmalai Joins TVK Party

Former AIADMK Minister, S Semmalai on Wednesday joined the ruling TVK in the presence of party founder and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.

More than four months after quitting the AIADMK, the 81-year old popular leader, a former loyalist of party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami joined the ruling camp like many of his former Dravidian party colleagues. Former AIADMK Health Minister C Vijayabaskar was among the prominent leaders who had joined the TVK, after its win in the Assembly polls.

K A Sengottaiyan, a noted AIADMK leader joined the TVK months ahead of the state polls and went on to become a minister in the Cabinet led by Vijay. The ruling TVK had said that loyalists of late MGR (AIADMK founder M G



Ramachandran) and J Jayalalithaa would continue to join the party. 

At the venue of a bypoll rally here, Semmalai welcomed Vijay and the CM presented him a TVK shawl, marking the well known ex-AIADMK leader's entry into the ruling party.

Hailing from Salem region like Palaniswami, Semmalai had in May this year, following the party's debacle in the Assembly election, expressed "anguish" over lack of efforts to strengthen the organisation. Semmalai is also a former Lok Sabha MP from Salem (2009-14). 

"I am much worried about the happenings in the party, it is fragile; the present situation is not comfortable to me," Semmalai had said explaining his decision to quit the party.