Once Jayalalithaa’s Delhi Voice, V. Maitreyan Joins DMK

Former AIADMK Rajya Sabha member V. Maitreyan on Wednesday joined the ruling DMK, marking yet another turning point in his long political journey.
Maitreyan met Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin at the party headquarters, 'Anna Arivalayam', where he was inducted into the party.

Once a prominent AIADMK face in the Rajya Sabha and a close confidant of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, Maitreyan had been sidelined in the party following her death in December 2016.

The internal power struggle that ensued saw him align with O. Panneerselvam during the factional split, which eventually led to his expulsion by then general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on charges of anti-party activities.

Following his removal, Maitreyan returned to his parent party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in 2023. However, his second stint with the BJP failed to bring him any significant political role.

Frustrated over the lack of opportunities, he resigned from the BJP within a year and sought to rejoin the AIADMK in 2024, writing to Palaniswami to facilitate his return. While he was taken back into the AIADMK fold, Maitreyan still found himself on the political sidelines, with no prominent position or influence.

Maitreyan’s move to the DMK is being viewed as both a strategic shift and a sign of changing political loyalties ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.


His political career has seen him serve three terms in the Rajya Sabha under the AIADMK banner, a tenure made possible by his close rapport with Jayalalithaa.

His entry into the DMK could potentially bolster the party’s political outreach, given his experience in parliamentary politics and his connections within Tamil Nadu’s political circles.

Speaking at the induction ceremony, the DMK leaders welcomed Maitreyan, expressing confidence that his experience would contribute to the party’s ongoing governance and electoral strategies.


While Maitreyan refrained from making sharp remarks about his former parties, his decision to join the DMK signals his search for a platform that offers both political relevance and an active role in shaping policy.

Political observers note that his defection could also be seen as a setback for the AIADMK, which has been facing internal rifts and defections in recent years, as leaders recalibrate their positions in the state’s shifting political landscape.

Maitreyan’s political career is a study in adaptability -- a journey that has taken him from the ideological world of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to the power corridors of Delhi, from being a BJP state president to a three-term AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP, and now, a new recruit in the DMK.


Born into a well-known Chennai family, Maitreyan trained as a medical oncologist and earned respect in the medical field before entering politics.

His early political grooming came through the RSS, and in 1991, he joined the BJP as an executive member of its Tamil Nadu unit.

Over the decade that followed, he rose steadily in the party's state unit -- general secretary (1995-97), vice president (1997-99), and briefly president in 1999. That year, he clashed with the party high command over its decision to ally with the DMK for the 1999 Lok Sabha elections. Suspended for anti-party activities, he resigned from the BJP in July 1999 and joined the AIADMK, then led by J. Jayalalithaa.


Maitreyan quickly became one of Jayalalithaa’s trusted lieutenants in Delhi. In 2002, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha to fill the vacancy caused by the death of veteran leader G.K. Moopanar, and was re-nominated in 2007 and 2013.

In Parliament, Maitreyan was respected for his calm, articulate interventions, often representing the AIADMK’s position on national issues with discipline and clarity.

The political landscape shifted dramatically after Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016. Maitreyan sided with O. Panneerselvam in his leadership battle against Edappadi K. Palaniswami, a decision that led to his marginalisation.

In 2022, he was expelled from the AIADMK. On June 9, 2023, Maitreyan returned to the BJP and, by August, was inducted into its national executive committee. Yet, his second BJP stint was short-lived -- on September 12, 2024, he quit the party and rejoined the AIADMK in the presence of EPS.

A few months later, on January 28, 2025, he was appointed as AIADMK Organising Secretary. But, on Wednesday, in a move that surprised even some political insiders, Maitreyan walked into 'Anna Arivalayam' and joined the DMK, greeted by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. --IANS