Former AIADMK Minister P. Benjamin Joins DMK with Supporters
P. Benjamin, a former minister in the AIADMK government, joined the DMK party on Wednesday alongside multiple party office-bearers at the party's state headquarters in Chennai. Benjamin previously served as Minister for School Education and Rural Industries under former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and current AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami, and was defeated in the 2026 Assembly election by a TVK candidate. His defection continues a pattern of prominent AIADMK leaders leaving the party following recent electoral losses and internal conflicts.
P. Benjamin, a former AIADMK minister and the party's former Tiruvallur Central East district secretary, formally joined the DMK on Wednesday at Anna Arivalayam in the presence of DMK president M.K. Stalin. Benjamin brought multiple AIADMK office-bearers with him, including Tiruvallur Central Party District Women's Wing secretary Yamini Ilayaraja and district student's wing secretary Dinesh. He had previously served as Deputy Mayor of Chennai Corporation and held ministerial portfolios for School Education and Rural Industries. Benjamin contested the 2026 Assembly election from Maduravoyal but was defeated by a TVK candidate, and was subsequently stripped of his district secretary position amid internal party tensions. His departure marks the latest in a series of high-profile AIADMK defections, following the recent exits of former ministers MC Sampath, NR Sivapathi, Kadambur C Raju, and Udumalai K Radhakrishnan, who joined the rival TVK party.
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