Tamil Nadu:Rebel AIADMK MLAs return to EPS camp

In a significant political development in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK rebel MLAs, who had recently backed Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), reunited with party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS). Rebel MLAs led by former minister SP Velumani, along with 11 MLAs, on Wednesday met Palaniswami at his residence and extended their support to his leadership. Velumani said that there was no split in the party and that the differences of opinion had been ‘set right’. He added that their intention was only to seek a review of the party’s electoral defeat and alleged that they were falsely accused of seeking positions.
Soon after meeting Palaniswami, Velumani, along with former minister Dr C Vijayabaskar, supporting MLAs and senior leaders including Agri SS Krishnamurthy, met Tamil Nadu assembly speaker JCD Prabhakar and submitted a letter stating that they would function as a united party in the Assembly. Vijayabaskar also withdrew his earlier request seeking recognition as the party whip. Tamil Nadu assembly speaker JCD Prabhakar said AIADMK MLAs had submitted their petitions to him and that he would examine them before announcing his decision on Thursday.
The rebel faction had earlier openly defied the party whip and voted in favour of the TVK-led government during the trust vote, triggering major turmoil within the opposition camp and fuelling speculation of a split in the party.  The political developments have also reportedly created discomfort among certain parties extending support to the TVK government. Congress leader S. Jothimani publicly raised concerns over alleged political horse trading and cautioned against adopting different political standards in Tamil Nadu.