Dharapuram: Former AIADMK minister and veteran leader S Semmalai joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Wednesday in the presence of party founder and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
The 81-year-old leader formally joined the party at a bypoll rally in Dharapuram, where Vijay welcomed him and presented him with a TVK shawl. Semmalai had resigned from the AIADMK in May 2026 after more than four decades with the party.
Semmalai, a former loyalist of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, had cited dissatisfaction with developments within the party when he quit. In his resignation, he expressed concern over the state of the organisation and said the post-election developments had caused him considerable anguish.
A four-time MLA from Mettur, Semmalai served as a minister in the 2001-06 AIADMK government led by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. He also represented Salem in the Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014.
His move to TVK comes amid a series of defections by senior AIADMK leaders. Former AIADMK minister C Vijayabaskar and veteran leader K A Sengottaiyan are among those who have moved to Vijay's party. Sengottaiyan joined TVK earlier in 2026 and later became a minister in the TVK government.
Semmalai's entry adds another experienced AIADMK figure to the ruling party as TVK consolidates its leadership following the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Recent reports have also highlighted continuing organisational changes within the AIADMK after the election setback.
