Overview
- P Benjamin, a former AIADMK minister, formally joined the DMK at the party’s Anna Arivalayam headquarters with a group of AIADMK office-bearers and supporters in an event attended by M K Stalin and senior DMK leaders.
- Present at the induction were senior DMK figures TR Baalu, A Raja and RS Barathi, and local AIADMK officials who moved with Benjamin included Tiruvallur district women’s wing secretary Yamini Ilayaraja and student wing secretary Dinesh.
- Benjamin previously served as deputy mayor of Chennai Corporation and held a cabinet post under late chief minister J Jayalalithaa and later under Edappadi K Palaniswami, giving him ties to established local political networks.
- The switch is reported as part of a broader pattern of high-profile exits from AIADMK, with other former ministers recently joining the rival TVK party, highlighting internal strains within AIADMK and competition among rivals to absorb dissenters.
- The immediate effects include a boost for DMK’s local organisation and potential weakening of AIADMK’s grassroots reach, and observers should watch for further defections and any challenges to AIADMK leadership and candidate mobilization ahead of upcoming contests.