AIADMK Rebel Manoj Pandian Joins DMK Ahead Of 2026 Polls, Calls AIADMK ‘A Branch of BJP’

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Chennai: In a major political development ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, AIADMK rebel leader Manoj Pandian officially joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Tuesday, November 4, in the presence of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the party headquarters in Chennai. Several senior DMK leaders were also present to welcome Pandian into the ruling party’s fold.

Confirming his decision to part ways with his former party, Pandian said he would resign as MLA from the Alangulam constituency, in accordance with the Representation of the People Act, which mandates that legislators who voluntarily switch parties cannot retain their seats.

In a sharp attack on the AIADMK leadership, Pandian accused the party of straying from the ideals of its founders. “The AIADMK has thrown to the winds the rules and ideology of the founder and leader of the party. It is functioning like a branch of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. Only DMK is upholding the principles and ideology of the Dravidian movement,” Pandian said, as quoted by The Hindu.

Born on August 8, 1971, Manoj Pandian is a seasoned politician and lawyer by profession. The son of former Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P.H. Pandian, he has had a long association with state politics. He began his political journey with the AIADMK in 1993 and went on to win the Cheranmahadevi Assembly seat in 2001. Later, he served as a Rajya Sabha MP from 2010 to 2016. In the 2021 state elections, he was elected as the MLA from Alangulam, contesting under the AIADMK banner.

Pandian holds a Bachelor of Law (B.L.) degree from Madurai Law College and was known to be part of the AIADMK faction led by former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.

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