Maitreyan joins DMK as AIADMK heavyweights continue to jump ship

AIADMK General Secretary and Tamil Nadu Opposition Leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) is busy with a state-wide campaign ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, but senior leaders from the “Two Leaves” party are quietly moving away. The latest to jump ship is senior AIADMK leader and former Rajya Sabha MP V. Maitreyan.

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Surrounded by senior DMK ministers, Maitreyan officially joined the DMK on Wednesday (August 13) at the party headquarters in Chennai, Anna Arivalayam, in the presence of DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.

3 exits in past month

Maitreyan, who began his political career in the early 1990s, left the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP when the saffron party decided to align with the DMK for the 1999 Lok Sabha elections.

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A month ago, former AIADMK minister Anwar Raja also joined the DMK and has since been appointed to the literary wing of the Dravidian party. With the latest exit of Maitreyan, who served as the AIADMK’s Organisational Secretary, three notable leaders, including Raja and former Pudukkottai MLA Karthik Thondaiman, have switched sides in just the past month.

Sources suggest senior leaders of AIADMK were upset with the alliance with the BJP for the 2026 Assembly polls. In the 2021 Assembly elections, several former ministers lost in constituencies that were considered strongholds for the BJP-AIADMK alliance. This dissatisfaction is reportedly pushing more leaders to explore options outside the party.

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During his induction into the DMK, Raja had said , “Minority votes will no longer go to the AIADMK.” He has also reportedly reached out to other discontented AIADMK leaders, telling them, “If you feel disrespected in AIADMK, come to DMK. You will be given the respect you deserve.”

Stalin welcomes Maithreyan

Maitreyan was warmly welcomed by Stalin with a shawl, alongside Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and other senior party members. Once considered a key figure in the AIADMK and a trusted lieutenant of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, Maitreyan was nominated to the Rajya Sabha three times and was tasked with representing the party’s interests in Delhi.

Sources say that two more senior former ministers from the AIADMK are currently in talks with the DMK. DMK insiders suggest Maitreyan's move is just the beginning, more AIADMK figures may soon follow.

‘Their exit has helped us’

When The Federal asked AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Satyan why senior leaders like Raja and Maitreyan had left, and why the DMK seems to be attracting them, he said, “They left not because of the AIADMK’s weaknesses, but because they weren’t strong enough to meet the party’s expectations. DMK may offer them an easy entry, but there’s no real value or satisfaction in that. If someone truly wants to work for the people, they’ll stay in AIADMK. In fact, their exit has only helped us. It’s the DMK that has lost.”

“You can’t build a party on the strength of a few individuals. Our party is built on lakhs of grassroots supporters. Back in 2010, when Shekhar Babu joined the DMK, our Amma (Jayalalithaa) said AIADMK isn’t about a single face; it’s about the people who stand behind it. It’s a cadre-based party, and we stand by those words even today,’’ he added.

Criticising Maitreyan’s frequent political shifts, Satyan said, “He started with the RSS, then joined the BJP in the 1990s, moved to the AIADMK, and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha three times. After Amma’s demise, he aligned with OPS, then rejoined AIADMK, and now he’s with the DMK. Look at this pattern, he simply wants power and perks, not to serve the people.”

Palaniswami downplays Maithreyan’s move

During his election campaign rally in Tirupathur on Wednesday, Palaniswami also addressed the issue. When asked about Maitreyan’s exit, he downplayed it as the party’s internal matter. “This has to be discussed with our party members. It doesn’t need to be discussed in public,” he said, refusing to elaborate further on the senior leaders’ departures.

Though EPS brushed off the question with his signature smile, a former AIADMK minister, speaking to The Federal on condition of anonymity, admitted that he is “deeply upset and hurt” by these exits.