Ambasamudram former MLA Esakki Subaya says he has written to Speaker withdrawing resignation

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In a new spin to the AIADMK MLAs’ resignation saga in Tamil Nadu, Ambasamudram resigned MLA Esakki Subaya on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) informed the Madras High Court of having submitted a representation to Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar on Friday (August 28, 2026) expressing his willingness to withdraw his May 26, 2026 resignation letter.

However, the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan refused to take his additional affidavit on record. The judges said, they could not permit parties to file fresh pleadings after the commencement of oral arguments. “We will not take anything (on record) because the matter is already part heard,” the Chief Justice said.

When a batch of writ petitions filed by AIADMK whip Agri S.S. Krishnamurthy challenging the Speaker’s decision to accept the resignation letters submitted by six AIADMK MLAs between May 26, 2026 and June 19, 2026 were listed for hearing, senior counsel S.R. Rajagopal brought it to the notice of the court that Mr. Subaya’s counsel had suddenly served the additional affidavit on him.

In the additional affidavit, Mr. Subaya had reiterated his resignation was voluntary and genuine and the Speaker had validly accepted it within the constitutional powers vested upon him. However, he said the residents of Ambasamudram Assembly constituency had been left without any representative for long due to multiple litigations and the consequent delay in conducting byelection.

Apart from the present case filed by Mr. Krishnamurthy challenging the acceptance of the resignations by the Speaker, another public interest litigation petition had been filed in the High Court against conduct of bypolls to five (including Ambasamudram) out of the six constituencies and the court had passed an interim order in that case restraining the Election Commission of India from notifying the byelections, he said.

Further, an election petition too had been filed in the High Court against his victory in Ambasamudram during the general elections. “Due to continuous delays and protracted litigation, the electorate has been deprived of democratic representation in the Legislative Assembly, causing severe prejudice to local governance, public welfare schemes, and developmental works,” Mr. Subaya’s additional affidavit read.

It went on to state: “Confronted with the vacuum in representation and considering the pressing needs of the constituency, I addressed a formal representation/letter dated August 29, 2026 to the Hon’ble Speaker. By way of the said letter, I requested the Hon’ble Speaker to permit me to resume my duties and serve the constituency as an elected member subject to the final outcome of the pending judicial proceedings, or in the alternative, to permit the withdrawal of my resignation letter and restore my membership in the Legislative Assembly.”

The resigned MLA said, he made the latest representation to the Speaker purely in larger public interest and to protect the rights of the electorate.