Tamil Nadu: AIADMK rebel MLAs removed from party posts

In Tamil Nadu, the crisis inside the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) deepened on Wednesday after party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami removed rebel leaders, including SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam, following cross-voting in favour of Vijay’s government during the Assembly floor test.The party chief cracked the whip on the rebel MLAs, including Natham R Viswanathan, after they defied the party's diktat and voted in favour of the TVK government during the confidence motion in the Assembly earlier in the day. Palaniswami replaced the party posts of the 25 MLAs and appointed new district secretaries in their places. The AIADMK also said they had applied for the disqualification of the 25 MLAs who disobeyed the party’s whip and voted to support the TVK-led government, marking the most serious crisis in the party under EPS leadership.
MLA CV Shanmugam rebelled against party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami and said: "There is a demand in the party, even before the election - all who have left or all who were expelled to be readmitted in the party so that the party can be strengthened and win the election. But he (EPS) has no such idea. With rebel MLAs now openly backing the TVK government and questioning EPS’s authority, the AIADMK’s post-poll crisis appears to be turning into a full-scale leadership battle.