Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay won the crucial floor test in the state assembly on Wednesday, formally proving the majority of his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led post-poll coalition.
The confidence vote followed Governor RV Arlekar’s directive that the newly formed government prove its majority on or before May 13. In the final tally, Vijay’s administration secured the support of 144 legislators, while 22 voted against and 5 chose to abstain.
The outcome followed a walkout by the primary opposition, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, with its 59 MLAs, while the third-largest party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), abstained with its 47 members.
“The whistle (the TVK’s election symbol) has changed history,” Vijay said after the result. “We will call ourselves a minority government… a government that will protect the rights of minorities.”
The more significant development is fragmentation within the AIADMK. Twenty-five AIADMK legislators backed Vijay and the TVK, openly defying party leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s directives — a deep internal rift that could potentially dismantle one of Tamil Nadu’s two major Dravidian powerhouses.
In the 234-member assembly, the TVK held 107 seats following Vijay’s decision to vacate Tiruchirappalli East. To secure a working majority, the party was bolstered by 13 additional MLAs from a coalition including the Congress, IUML, VCK, CPI and CPM. On the eve of the vote, the Madras High Court issued an interim order barring TVK MLA Srinivasa Sethupathi from participating, following a petition by DMK leader K.R. Periyakaruppan alleging counting irregularities in Tiruppattur. AMMK MLA S Kamaraj reversed earlier forgery allegations and extended his support to TVK, leaving Vijay with 120 MLAs going into the vote.
The result cements Vijay’s mandate to govern after his swearing-in on May 10, following his day-one announcement of three welfare schemes and his subsequent letter to External Affairs Minister Jaishankar over six Sri Lankan fishermen held in Mandapam camp.
