Chennai, May 13: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay successfully passed the first major political test for his newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government on Wednesday after winning the confidence motion in the Legislative Assembly with 144 votes in favour.
A total of 22 MLAs voted against the motion, while five members abstained from voting. Following the completion of the floor test, the Assembly was adjourned sine die.
The trust vote proceedings witnessed dramatic political developments, including a walkout by the DMK, open divisions within the AIADMK and heated exchanges among rival political camps inside the House.
Ahead of the voting process, Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin led all DMK legislators out of the Assembly after strongly criticising the Vijay-led government during the debate on the confidence motion.
Stalin accused Chief Minister Vijay of encouraging political defections by allegedly holding meetings with rebel AIADMK legislators earlier in the day. He questioned the political developments surrounding the trust vote and asked whether Tamil Nadu was witnessing “change or exchange” in politics.
The DMK leader further alleged that the TVK government lacked an independent and stable majority and was surviving through defections and external support.
Tensions escalated further when AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami declared that all 47 MLAs belonging to his faction would vote against the confidence motion.
Palaniswami also objected to Vijay’s reported meeting with rebel AIADMK leaders and questioned the legitimacy of their support to the newly formed government.
However, dramatic scenes unfolded inside the Assembly after Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar invited rebel AIADMK leader S.P. Velumani to participate in the debate on the trust motion.
AIADMK legislators loyal to Palaniswami strongly protested against the Speaker’s decision, leading to noisy scenes in the House. Despite the objections, the Speaker maintained that he possessed the authority to permit any legislator to speak during the proceedings.
Amid loud protests from AIADMK members, Velumani addressed the Assembly and later led the rebel AIADMK MLAs in supporting the TVK government during the voting process, exposing deepening cracks within the principal opposition party.
The support extended by the rebel faction proved crucial in strengthening the numbers for the Vijay-led government during the floor test.
Replying to the debate before the voting, Chief Minister Vijay defended his government and asserted that his administration would remain firmly secular and committed to governance and public welfare.
“This government will function with the speed of a horse and not indulge in horse trading,” Vijay remarked in a sharp response directed at the opposition benches.
He also assured the Assembly that all major welfare schemes introduced by previous governments would continue under the TVK administration and promised that governance would remain people-centric and development-oriented.
Political observers view the successful trust vote as an important milestone for Vijay, whose entry into active politics and rise to power has significantly altered Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.
The floor test has also highlighted emerging realignments within the opposition camp, particularly within the AIADMK, where internal divisions became publicly visible during the proceedings.
With the confidence motion now cleared, the Vijay-led government is expected to focus on governance, administrative restructuring and implementation of its policy agenda in the coming months.
