Tamil Nadu CM Vijay positions TVK as organic successor to AIADMK, justifies Dharapuram candidate’s party switchover

TVK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Wednesday made no bones of his keenness to position his party as an organic successor of the AIADMK, as he extolled the leadership acumen of late Chief Ministers J. Jayalalithaa and M.G. Ramachandran in handling arch-rival DMK umpteen times.

“The present AIADMK leadership’s ‘brazen’ attempt at negating the legacies of the iconic leaders by contemplating a tie-up with the very arch-rival for government formation was what had spurred TVK candidate P. Sathyabama into exiting the Dravidian party she had served for decades,” he claimed. At a by-election campaign meeting in Dharapuram (Reserved), where Ms. Sathyabama has been fielded, he sought to counter the charge of the opposition parties that she had been bought over. In May this year, she was elected from the constituency on an AIADMK ticket. Thereafter she resigned her Assembly membership and joined the TVK.

The Chief Minister earlier consoled Ms. Sathyabama, who broke down on the stage, claiming she was being abused for switching parties. She claimed her decision to leave AIADMK was not due to dislike of the party, but because of the mentality of the AIADMK general secrerary Edappadi K Palaniswami.

“It is two months since I have logged off social media. Obscene taunts unleashed on me are painful. I entered politics inspired by Amma Jayalalithaa. Had I done anything wrong, I would not have come to seek votes with my head held high,” Ms. Sathyabama said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay during his campaign for byelection at Dharapuram (SC) Assembly constituency in Tiruppur district on September 30, 2026
| Photo Credit:
S. Siva Saravanan

Justifying her decision to join the TVK fold, she also thanked Mr. Palaniswami, alleging if not for his bid to cosy up with the DMK, she would have still remained in the party.

In his speech, Mr. Vijay said due to the “DMK nexus”, the AIADMK general secretary had lost locus standi for the party leadership, wondering why Mr. Palaniswami was agitated when he (Mr Vijay) was talking about the references of DMK’s corruption in the Sarkaria Commission report.

The TVK regime was following the tenets of late Anna by providing opportunities for the poor to become MLAs and Minister’s. On the other hand, the DMK leadership was still fixated on family hegemony. The TVK was now the only party in a position to take on the ‘evil’ DMK, Mr. Vijay said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay during his campaign for byelection at Dharapuram constituency in Tiruppur district on September 30, 2026
| Photo Credit:
S. Siva Saravanan

Referring to DMK president M.K.Stalin’s expression of gratitude to voters of Kolathur constituency for not electing him, Mr. Vijay said in jest that the party would eventually face the ignominy in all constituencies.

Describing what he construed as the tacit understanding between the DMK and AIADMK as ‘benami alliance’, Mr. Vijay said their destabilising machinations will never materialise, “now that every family in Tamil Nadu has begun treating me as a member”.

The more the opposition disrespects me, the higher would be the esteem people will hold me in, he said.

Listing the achievements over the last four months after taking over, the TVK, the CM assured will fulfil long-pending projects for irrigation and drinking water supply and infrastructure requirements of Dharapuram constituency in right earnest.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay during his campaign for byelection at Dharapuram Assembly constituency in Tiruppur district on September 30, 2026
| Photo Credit:
S. Siva Saravanan

Getting into an interactive mode and joining the large gathering in blowing whistle (the party symbol), Mr. Vijay asked for their commitment to reject “lies” of the opposition, and to cast their votes for the TVK candidate.