Four-time MLA from Vellore and Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) vice president C. Gnanasekaran will join the ruling AIADMK on Tuesday. “I am joining the AIADMK with 70 more TMC leaders including two district secretaries,” Mr. Gnanasekaran told The Hindu late on Monday.
TMC president G.K. Vasan, who got wind of his moves, issued a statement relieving Mr. Gnanasekaran and another Vellore district secretary Srinivasa Gandhi from their respective posts.
Mr. Gnanasekaran has for long been the face of the Congress and TMC in Vellore having been elected to the Assembly twice each on the Congress and TMC tickets. He was among those who had joined the TMC floated by the late G.K. Moopanar in 1996 and also walked out of the Congress when Mr. Vasan revived the TMC two years ago.
The TMC’s South Chennai (West) unit district secretary E.C. Sekar, Srinivasa Gandhi and some office-bearers from the party’s Tiruchi and Tiruvallur units are expected to join the AIADMK in the presence of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.