Former Tamil Nadu minister and Ambasamudram MLA Esakki Subaya resigned from the Assembly on Tuesday after meeting Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar at the Secretariat, adding to the crisis within the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Subaya, a three-time legislator and one of the party’s key figures in southern Tamil Nadu, was among 25 rebel AIADMK MLAs led by former minister S.P. Velumani who backed the C. Joseph Vijay-led government in the confidence vote held on May 13, 2026. The Speaker accepted his resignation later in the day.
His exit came a day after three other AIADMK legislators from the Velumani faction — Maragatham Kumaravel of Maduranthagam, S. Jayakumar of Perundurai and P. Sathyabama of Dharapuram — resigned from the House and later joined TVK. Following their resignations, the Assembly seats represented by the three MLAs were declared vacant, and official notifications were issued in the Tamil Nadu government gazette.
In a parallel move, MLAs aligned with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami approached the Speaker on Tuesday, seeking withdrawal of the acceptance of the three resignations. Agri S.S. Krishnamurthy, Thalavai Sundaram, O.S. Manian and Rajya Sabha MP I.S. Inbadurai submitted a three-page petition at the Secretariat, arguing that the resignations should not be accepted while disqualification proceedings under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution remain pending.
Speaking to reporters, Krishnamurthy said a letter had already been submitted to initiate anti-defection action against the 25 rebel MLAs who voted for the TVK government during the trust vote. He said the resignations were intended to pre-empt disqualification. He also claimed that five other AIADMK legislators — S.M. Sukumar, P. Hari Bhaskar, K. Mohan, Dileepan Jaishankar and N.S.N. Nataraj — had recognised their error in supporting the government and had written to the party leadership extending support to Palaniswami.
The developments mark a sharp escalation in the internal split within AIADMK, with rival factions now contesting both the political loyalty of the rebel legislators and the legality of their resignations. The party has indicated that it may approach the courts depending on the Speaker’s ruling on the petition. The resignations and counter-petitions have deepened uncertainty over the status of multiple Assembly constituencies, while also underscoring the continuing fallout from the confidence vote and the factional realignment within the opposition party.
