TVK’s Vijay Secures Blockbuster Win In Tamil Nadu Assembly Floor Test | A Look At Numbers

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay comfortably won the floor test in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, May 13, securing 144 votes in favour of his government. The trust vote turned interesting after the internal divisions came out in the open in AIADMK, which was reflected in the voting. Vijay received support from rebel factions within the AIADMK who voted in support of the government despite warnings issued by party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS). After the results were announced, Vijay addressed the Assembly and thanked legislators who supported his government during the trust vote. 

TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, while the MK Stalin-led DMK became the second-largest party with 59 seats. AIADMK finished third with 47 seats. The fractured mandate eventually paved the way for Vijay to form the government with support from smaller parties and independent legislators.  

Final Vote Tally After The Confidence Motion

The confidence motion concluded with the following numbers:

Yes: 144

No: 22

Abstain: 5

Party-wise Breakdown Of Votes Received By TVK’s Vijay During Floor Test

TVK: 105

AIADMK rebel faction: 25

Congress: 5

CPI: 2

CPIM: 2

IUML: 2

AMMK: 2

VCK: 2

Crucial Floor Test For Vijay

The floor test was considered crucial for Vijay and his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), after the chief minister took oath and formed the government with the backing of smaller parties. The party had crossed the majority mark with narrow support, making the confidence vote politically significant.

However, the proceedings also became a platform for the widening internal conflict within the AIADMK, as one faction of the party openly extended support to Vijay.

AIADMK Rebel Faction Defies Party Leadership, Supports Vijay’s TVK 

A rebel faction within the AIADMK, led by senior leaders C V Shanmugam and S P Velumani, claimed that nearly 30 of the party’s 47 MLAs were backing them.

The faction announced support for Vijay and TVK ahead of the floor test.

“We are not asking for any posts in the ministry,” S P Velumani said.

EPS-led AIADMK Faction Opposes Vijay

Their stand directly contradicted the official position of the AIADMK leadership headed by Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

EPS had asserted that all 47 AIADMK MLAs would oppose Vijay’s government during the confidence motion despite the growing internal rift.

Meanwhile, AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP IS Inbadurai warned on Tuesday that any MLA acting against the party whip could face disqualification under the anti-defection law.

Smaller Parties Extend Support To TVK

Several smaller political parties also backed Vijay during the trust vote. CPI, CPI(M), VCK, IUML and an expelled AMMK MLA extended support to the TVK government.

Vijay had already reached the required majority mark with the support of these parties, but the backing from rebel AIADMK legislators further strengthened his numbers.

IUML leader Shahjahan said the party supported TVK to stop what he described as the BJP’s “tricks” in Tamil Nadu.

Praising Vijay’s announcement regarding the closure of more than 700 liquor shops, Shahjahan expressed hope that the chief minister would “make history”. He also urged the government to actively uphold secularism and continue welfare schemes already being implemented in the state.

DMK Walks Out Of Confidence Vote Session

Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu and DMK MLA Udhyanidhi Stalin said the DMK would walk out of the confidence vote proceedings.

Stalin argued that 66 per cent of the people of Tamil Nadu had not voted for TVK and claimed that public trust in the party was “decreasing day by day”.

He also stated that parties such as CPI, CPI(M), IUML and VCK had supported TVK only to prevent the imposition of Governor’s rule in Tamil Nadu.

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