Expelled Ex-AIADMK MP and Jaya's close aide Maitreyan quits BJP, rejoins AIADMK

CHENNAI: In a sudden and surprise development, BJP National Council Member and expelled former AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP V Maitreyan, who was considered close to late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, on Thursday evening quit the BJP and re-joined the AIADMK.

Mr Maitreyan met AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, who is also the Leader of

the Opposition in the State Assembly, at his residence in the city, and re-joined the party.

Accepting Mr Maitreyan's letter seeking to readmit him in to the party, Mr Palaniswami accepted it and re-admitted Mr Maitreyan into the AIADMK, a party release said tonight.

Mr Maitreyan was expelled from the primary membership of the party by Mr Palaniswami in 2022

for his alleged "anti-party activities and for indulging in acts that brought disrepute to the party".

Maitreyan was the Organising Secretary of AIADMK at the time of his expulsion.

Later, he joined the BJP in June 2023 and was made the National Council Member.

Mr Maitreyan was previously with the BJP till early 2000. But he later quit the saffron party and

joined the AIADMK.

Life has now come a full circle, as Maiteryan was expelled from AIADMK in 2022, rejoined the

BJP the next year, only to quit today and again re-join the AIADMK.

In his early days, Maitreyan was a member of RSS. In 1991, he became an executive member

of the BJP in Tamil Nadu and from 1995 to 1997, he had served as General Secretary of BJP's

Tamil Nadu unit.

Later, he held also several posts before resigning from the party in 2000.

In the same year, he joined AIADMK, won the confidence of Ms Jayalalithaa, and was thrice elected to the Rajya Sabha by her.