Vijay-led TVK regime secures majority in Tamil Nadu Assembly floor test

Chief minister C Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government won the trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday with support from parties including the Congress, VCK and the AIADMK rebel faction led by SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam.

As soon as the House convened, chief minister Vijay moved the vote of confidence resolution, following which MLAs from all parties spoke on the motion.

Speaker JCD Prabhakar later announced, after division-wise voting, that the resolution seeking the confidence of the Assembly had been passed.

A total of 144 MLAs voted in favour of the government, while 22 opposed the motion. Five MLAs, including members from the PMK and BJP, took a neutral stand.

The main opposition DMK staged a walkout before the voting took place.

MLA S Kamaraj, who was expelled from the AMMK, was among those who voted in favour of the government.

The floor test came a day after Vijay held back-to-back meetings with allies, rivals AIADMK and DMK, and Naam Tamilar Katchi founder Seeman on Monday and Tuesday.

The IUML, Congress, VCK, CPI and CPI(M) backed Vijay in his bid to form his maiden government in the state.

The developments also triggered a political crisis within the AIADMK. Around 30 MLAs announced support for the Vijay-led government in what turned into an unwelcome birthday setback for AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.

The MLAs, led by senior leaders SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam, accused Palaniswami of seeking an alliance with the DMK and questioned his leadership following the party’s performance in the Assembly elections. They also declared support for the TVK government.

Adding another political twist, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan claimed that both the DMK and AIADMK had approached him to become the Tamil Nadu chief minister and lead a possible alliance between the two Dravidian rivals to prevent the TVK from coming to power. He said he had rejected the proposal.

On his second day as chief minister, Vijay announced the closure of more than 700 TASMAC liquor outlets across the state that are located within 500 metres of temples, schools and bus stands.

He also faced criticism for appointing his astrologer, Radhan Pandit Vettrivel, as Officer on Special Duty to the chief minister. Vettrivel had predicted that Vijay would secure a landslide victory.