Former Minister Gomathi Srinivasan, former PMK president Dheeran and singer Anita Kuppusamy were among those who joined the ruling AIADMK on Monday.
They met AIADMK general secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and enrolled as members. Ms Jayalalithaa distributed membership cards to them.
Ms Srinivasan was a Minister in the Cabinet of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran and held the portfolio of Social Welfare between 1980 and 1987. Elected from Valangaiman (reserved) constituency in 1980 and 1984, she joined the DMK after MGR’s death. She was again elected from the constituency in the 1996 Assembly elections.
Mr Dheeran, president of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) since its inception in 1989, became its leader of the four-member legislature group in the Assembly after the 1996 Assembly polls. He, however, fell out with Dr Ramadoss after the PMK founder decided to align with the AIADMK in the 1998 Lok Sabha polls. He was expelled from the PMK and he formed the Tamil Pattali Makkal Kazhagam (TPMK).
Mr. Dheeran had a brief stint with the BJP and joined the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi launched by another PMK dissident T. Velmurugan. He has now joined the AIADMK.
Anita Kuppusamy is the wife of folk singer Pushpavanam Kuppusamy.
Others who joined the AIADMK were former Madurai Mayor M. Patturajan, former chief judicial magistrate M. Mayandi and Sridhar Narayanan, a television newsreader on Jaya TV.
