AIADMK MLAs who joined TVK — resignations, anti-defection law and by-election deadlines
The AIADMK MLAs who resigned and joined TVK after May 2026, why resigning avoids disqualification, and the six-month by-election deadline under Section 151A.
After TVK formed the government in May 2026, six AIADMK MLAs resigned their seats and joined TVK. Two of them, K. Maragatham Kumaravel of Madurantakam and P. Sathyabama of Dharapuram, resigned on 25 May 2026 and are now TVK's candidates in the October by-elections for the same seats.
Why resign instead of simply switching? India's anti-defection law, the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, lets the Speaker disqualify a member who voluntarily gives up membership of the party on whose ticket they were elected. An MLA who resigns forfeits the seat outright, so there is nothing left to disqualify, and they are free to contest again for a new party. The price is a by-election, and the voters decide whether to re-elect them under the new symbol.
The law also fixes how quickly the vacancy must be filled. Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act 1951 requires a by-election within six months of the vacancy, unless the remaining term is less than a year or the Election Commission certifies it cannot be held in that time.
Applying that rule to the seats still vacant gives these deadlines: Tiruchirappalli East (AC 141), vacated 2026-05-10 (C. Joseph Vijay (TVK) vacated his second seat); Ambasamudram (AC 225), vacated 2026-05-26 (E. Subaya resigned); Viralimalai (AC 179), vacated 2026-06-16 (C. Vijayabaskar (AIADMK) resigned); Karur (AC 135), vacated 2026-06-29 (M.R. Vijayabhaskar resigned). Tiruchirappalli East, vacated on 10 May 2026, is therefore due by 10 November 2026. Perundurai is different: S. Jayakumar's seat is the subject of an election petition, so its future depends on the court.
In April, Maragatham won Madurantakam for AIADMK by 7,194 votes with 34.95%, and Sathyabama won Dharapuram by 16,727 votes with 40.56%. The October results show how much of that personal and party vote follows them to TVK, which was second in Madurantakam (31.32%) and third in Dharapuram (23.23%) in April.