Shanmugam Challenges Agri Krishnamoorthy on AIADMK Poll Performance
Shanmugam said the political developments following the announcement of the Assembly election results on May 4 were known to everyone and alleged that Krishnamoorthy was presenting old issues as though he had made a fresh discovery
ARUL | DC
Chennai: Senior AIADMK leader and former minister, rebel AIADMK MLA C.Ve. Shanmugam on Monday launched a scathing attack on party leader Agri Krishnamoorthy, accusing him of deliberately spreading “false and misleading information” about the party’s electoral performance and its leadership.
Speaking to mediapersons at the Secretariat after attending the Assembly session, Shanmugam said the political developments following the announcement of the Assembly election results on May 4 were known to everyone and alleged that Krishnamoorthy was presenting old issues as though he had made a fresh discovery.
The number of MLAs elected in 2026 is 47 and in 2021 is 66.
Referring to the AIADMK’s performance, Shanmugam said the party had won 47 seats in the recent Assembly election, while it had won 66 seats in the 2021 election and emerged as the principal Opposition party.
He said senior leaders, including himself, had collectively chosen former chief minister and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami as the party’s general secretary, but alleged that the party had failed to win an Assembly or Lok Sabha election since he assumed charge.
Shanmugam questioned Krishnamoorthy’s claim that Palaniswami was responsible for the party winning 47 seats. “If Palaniswami was responsible for winning those seats, does that mean he became irrelevant in the remaining constituencies,” he asked.
He pointed to the party’s poor performance in Salem, Palaniswami’s home district, which has seven Assembly constituencies, and questioned why the party had failed to win there.
Shanmugam also highlighted AIADMK’s limited gains in the southern districts, Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and the delta region. He said the party had won only two of 37 seats in Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur, while securing only four seats in Tiruchy, Pudukkottai and Thanjavur districts.
He attributed the comparatively better performance in northern Tamil Nadu partly to the alliance with the PMK.
Shanmugam said after a major electoral defeat, party leaders normally accepted responsibility and resigned. However, he clarified that he had not demanded Palaniswami’s resignation, but had only urged the leadership to acknowledge the ground reality and take steps to revive the party.
He challenged Krishnamoorthy to an open discussion on the issue.
“I challenge Agri Krishnamoorthy. Call me for a meeting, and I am ready to discuss the facts before the party and its cadre,” Shanmugam said.
