Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) treasurer M. Karikalan, on Friday (July 24, 2026), met Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar at the Secretariat in Chennai and submitted a petition seeking the disqualification of the party’s lone MLA S. Kamaraj who represents the Mannargudi Assembly constituency.

Mr. Kamaraj was elected on behalf of the AMMK which contested the 2026 Assembly election as part of the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He defeated former Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa of the DMK in Mannargudi by a margin of nearly 1,500 votes.

The tussle between Mr. Kamaraj and the AMMK leadership dates back to days after the Assembly elections were declared on May 4. AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran, on May 8, alleged that during Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s meeting with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, a letter purportedly carrying Mr. Kamaraj’s support for the government had been submitted and that the letter was “forged.”

Mr. Dhinakaran also claimed Mr. Kamaraj’s whereabouts were unknown at the time and said he had made a representation to the Governor in this regard. However, hours later on the same night Mr. Kamaraj was traced. The next day, Mr. Dhinakaran addressed the media along with Mr. Kamaraj.

On May 12, a day before the trust vote for the Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay-led government in the Assembly, Mr. Dhinakaran expelled Mr. Kamaraj from the party for anti-party activities. The decision was taken after Mr. Kamaraj announced his support for the government. On May 13, Mr. Kamaraj voted in favour of the confidence motion moved by the Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay-led government.

Mr. Karikalan, while speaking to reporters, said Mr. Kamaraj had acted contrary to the directions of party general secretary during trust vote.

To a question on whether the provisions of anti-defection law will attract in this case as he was expelled from the party before the trust vote, Mr. Karikalan said, “Being the lone MLA of a party does not mean that the provisions of the anti-defection law will not apply. He contested the election and won on the basis of the A Form and B Form issued by our party’s general secretary. Therefore, the anti-defection law is applicable in this case.”