Chennai: Former State Transport Minister V. Senthil Balaji and loyalist of AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, is likely to join the DMK in a day or two, even as AMMK's propaganda secretary Thanga Tamiliselvan dismissed it as untrue.
Senthil Balaji is among the 18 disqualified MLAs - all supporters of Dhinakaran, who won from the city's RK Nagar Assembly constituency trouncing the ruling AIADMK and DMK. Presently, he is AMMK's organising secretary.
He could not be reached to confirm if he was joining the opposition DMK, but sources claimed he is likely to join the party soon. Media reports quoting former State Minister and DMK's farmers wing secretary M. Chinnasamy, said that Balaji would join the DMK either on Thursday or Sunday when the statue of late DMK president M. Karunanidhi will be unveiled.
Meanwhile, AMMK propaganda secretary Thanga Thamilselvan dismissed reports about Senthil Balaji shifting loyalties to the DMK as untrue. He said in Madurai on Wednesday "Media alone is speculating about Senthil Balaji's decision to join the DMK. It is wrong. He will not leave us. I am in touch with him on a daily basis. He will not join the DMK."
In a surprise development, some of Senthil Balaji's supporters returned to the AIADMK in Karur in the presence of State Transport Minister M. R. Vijayabaskar on Wednesday.
Senthil Balaji's electoral debut was as union councillor from Manmangalam panchayat in Karur union in 1996. He was elected as an independent with the support of a local Kongu caste outfit. Later, he joined AIADMK in 2000 and again he was given a ticket for Karur union councillor election. He won the same seat for the second term in 2001.
He won from Karur Assembly segment in 2011 and was made the Transport Minister but was dropped from the Cabinet in July, 2015.
Though he won from Arvakkuruchi Assembly constituency as AIADMK candidate in 2016 Assembly election, he was disqualified along with 17 others after they rebelled against Chief Minister Edappadi K.Palaniswami.
