CHENNAI: Former AIADMK minister R Vaithilingam joined the DMK in the presence of chief minister M K Stalin at the DMK headquarters in Chennai. Vaithilingam served as the minister of housing and urban development in the cabinet of former CM J Jayalalithaa and was one of the five key functionaries in AIADMK, which had advised Jayalalithaa on various issues. He was the face of the AIADMK in Delta districts. When former CM O Panneerselvam was ousted from the party in 2022, Vaithilingam joined Panneerselvam faction and was next to Panneerselvam. However, as key members in the Panneerselvam camp such as former MLA Paul Manoj Pandian quit recently and joined the DMK, Vaithilingam too resigned as an MLA and joined the DMK, which will further strenghten the DMK in the delta districts. Earlier in the day, Vaithilingam submitted his resignation letter to speaker M Appavu at his office in secretariat.
