Actor Gautami Tadimalla quits AIADMK as over 300 members join ruling TVK

Actor and politician Gautami Tadimalla resigned from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on 14 June 2026, citing the "current political climate" and saying she would resume social service. In a letter to AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami she expressed gratitude to senior party functionaries and announced her departure from both primary membership and the post of Deputy Propaganda Secretary.

The resignation comes amid a mass exodus of more than 300 AIADMK members who have formally joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) at its headquarters in Panaiyur near Chennai. The defectors include former ministers and MLAs, and the ceremony was attended by TVK leader and Tamil Nadu Rural Development Minister N. Anand and other state ministers. Senior AIADMK figure Udumalai Radhakrishnan said the move reflects an inability to serve the public under the party’s leadership and praised the new government's direction.