NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister Joseph Vijay on Wednesday won the crucial floor test in the state assembly, formally proving the majority of his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led post-poll coalition.The confidence vote was held in the assembly following governor RV Arlekar’s directive asking the newly formed government to prove its majority on or before May 13.
With the victory in the House, the actor-turned politician has now formed the first coalition government led by a new entrant in Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian political era, breaking the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK.The DMK won 59 seats, while the AIADMK was reduced to 47. TVK, contesting its first-ever assembly election barely two years after its formation, emerged as the largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member House.Vijay was sworn in as chief minister at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on May 7, becoming the first non-DMK and non-AIADMK chief minister in Tamil Nadu since 1967.Addressing the assembly, the CM expressed gratitude towards the members who voted in support of TVK and affirmed that the party will create a “democratic” government.“I express my heartfelt gratitude on behalf of our government to all the honorable members who supported and won this government for the people, this democratic government with a conscience, in the trust resolution. Just like the government of common people formed through the 1967 and 1977 elections, the TVK will also form a government of common people through the 2026 assembly elections, as we had firmly stated to the people,” he said.
How Vijay secured the numbers
During the trust vote proceedings, Congress, CPM, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and a rebel faction of AIADMK extended support to the TVK government, helping CM Vijay comfortably win the floor test in the Tamil Nadu assembly.
- In favour of TVK government: 144 MLAs
- In favour AIADMK rebels: 25 MLAs
- Against: 22 MLAs
- Abstained: 5 MLAs
Earlier, Madras high court restrained TVK MLA Srinivasa Sethupathi, who won from Tirupattur constituency by one vote, from participating in the floor test. The restraint order was issued on a plea moved by former DMK minister K R Periyakaruppan, who lost the constituency by one vote.Also read: Why Madras high court barred TVK MLA who won by 1 vote from Vijay’s floor test
How CM Vijay reached there?
The 234-member assembly requires 118 seats for a majority. Although TVK won 108 seats, the party’s effective strength came down to 107 after Vijay vacated one of the two seats he had won following his elevation as chief minister.That left the party 11 seats short of the majority mark. Congress, which won five seats, was the first to extend support to TVK, ending its long-standing alliance with DMK. The CPI and CPM, with two seats each, also announced support for Vijay.The breakthrough came after the VCK and IUML, both of which had initially stayed away from the alliance, eventually agreed to support the TVK-led government following days of negotiations.TVK also received support from Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) MLA S Kamaraj. The coalition’s strength eventually rose to 121 seats, allowing Vijay to comfortably prove his majority in the assembly.
AIADMK vs AIADMK twist in assembly
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the party would not support the newly elected TVK government and alleged attempts were being made to lure MLAs with offers of ministerial posts and board chairman positions.“We are not an enemy party; we wish to function as a responsible opposition,” Palaniswami said, adding that AIADMK MLAs would vote against the govt during the trust vote.He said the AIADMK had won 47 seats under the party’s “Two Leaves” symbol and claimed the party had played a major role in transforming Tamil Nadu into one of India’s leading states.The developments come amid a visible split within the AIADMK, with faction led by former ministers SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam publicly backed Vijay’s government announcing support for the TVK-led government.The political drama intensified just a day before the trust vote when Vijay personally visited senior AIADMK rebel leader C Ve Shanmugam at his residence in Chennai, triggering speculation that a section of the AIADMK was preparing to back the new government.Around 30 AIADMK MLAs from the rebel camp have openly questioned Palaniswami’s leadership following the party’s poor performance in the assembly elections, where it won only 47 of the 164 seats it contested. Shanmugam accused Palaniswami of exploring an arrangement with the DMK to prevent Vijay from forming the government.“In the recently concluded election, we faced defeat. Not only in the recently concluded election, but also in the previous election, we suffered defeat. We asked our General Secretary to convene a General Council meeting to discuss the reasons behind these electoral defeats and to take further action in the interest and development of the party,” he said.“Some people proposed that we, as the AIADMK legislative party, should form a government with the support of the DMK. This proposal goes against the founding principles of our party because the AIADMK was founded to uproot the DMK, which we consider an evil force in Tamil Nadu,” he added.The allegation has become politically significant because AIADMK was founded as the principal rival to the DMK, making any possible understanding between the two parties highly controversial within the party ranks.Shanmugam said supporting Vijay was necessary to revive the “Amma rule” associated with former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.“He (Palaniswami) wanted to form a government with the support of DMK,” Shanmugam alleged, further stating that “we founded this party against the DMK. For 53 years, our politics was against it. Given this, a proposal suggesting an AIADMK government with DMK support was rejected….If we formed such an alliance, AIADMK would not exist.”
A whip binding all party MLAs
The AIADMK leadership, meanwhile, attempted to contain the rebellion by issuing a whip ahead of the floor test. Party Rajya Sabha MP IS Inbadurai warned that any MLA violating the official whip could face disqualification under the anti-defection law.Sharing a post on X, Inbadurai said the whip issued under AIADMK General Secretary and Legislative Party Leader Edappadi K Palaniswami would be binding on all party MLAs.The DMK however, denied reports of any post-poll understanding with the AIADMK and maintained that it would sit in the opposition. Political observers believe the DMK may benefit from the ongoing AIADMK infighting.Earlier this week, Vijay delivered his maiden speech in the assembly and said the House should function as both the “heart and the brain” of democracy. He said every party, regardless of its strength, deserved equal respect inside the Assembly.“Here, everyone is equal. Even parties represented by a single member in this House must have their views valued equally alongside those expressed by the members of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, who hold a larger mandate,” Vijay said.“Good suggestions must be accepted, and unsuitable ones rejected. This assembly must function as both the heart and the brain of democracy,” he added.