Vijay sails through floor test as 25 rebel AIADMK MLAs cross-vote in Tamil Nadu House

The vote formally secured the position of the actor-turned-politician whose party, with 108 seats in its debut election, emerged as the single-largest force but fell short of the majority mark of 118. The proceedings inside the Assembly showed the volatile political churn that has followed the election verdict, which disrupted the six-decade-old DMK-AIADMK bipolar order in Tamil Nadu.

As the sitting resumed Wednesday morning, Speaker JCD Prabhakar ordered the closure of the Assembly’s doors ahead of the voting process and restrained members from moving from their seats during the headcount. Vijay, replying to the debate on the motion, sought to project stability and continuity amid the turbulence surrounding his government formation.

“This government will function with the speed of a horse and not indulge in horse trading,” Vijay said, while also assuring that all welfare schemes of the previous DMK government would continue. He added that his administration would remain “secular”.

The confidence vote, however, quickly turned into a battle over the rebellion inside the AIADMK. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami or EPS declared on the floor of the House that all his 47 party MLAs would oppose the trust vote and accused the TVK of engineering defections by offering ministerial berths and board appointments.

“This government has been formed by luring some members with promises of ministerial posts and board appointments,” Palaniswami said after the trust vote. “Instead of remaining loyal to the party, they have betrayed it.”

The situation escalated into noisy scenes inside the House after Prabhakar invited Velumani, leader of the AIADMK rebel camp, to speak immediately after EPS. AIADMK legislators loyal to EPS objected strongly, while the Speaker maintained that he was empowered to allow any member to participate in the debate. Velumani then formally announced support for the Vijay government, saying the “majority of people had voted for change”.

Outside the Assembly, the rebellion deepened further with Shanmugam directly challenging EPS’s authority over the AIADMK Legislature Party. He along with rebel MLAs addressed reporters, alleging that EPS had submitted a “forged” letter to the Speaker claiming the backing of all AIADMK legislators.

“He (EPS) cannot claim so as no such meeting on a resolution took place,” Shanmugam said, asserting that the Speaker had the authority to determine the legitimate AIADMK Legislature Party leadership.

The rebels have also accused EPS of informally exploring the possibility of forming a government with DMK support to block Vijay from assuming office – an allegation denied by the EPS camp but one that has acquired political sensitivity given the AIADMK’s origins as an anti-DMK movement founded by former CM M G Ramachandran.

On its part, the DMK attempted to politically isolate Vijay without obstructing the formation of his government. Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin announced a DMK walkout during the debate, saying his party did not want to create instability but accused Vijay of betraying his promise of “clean politics” by engaging with AIADMK rebels.

“What is happening now – is this change or exchange?” Udhayanidhi asked in the House. “Instead of governance through Instagram ‘reels’, do some ‘real’ governance.”

DMK president M K Stalin later sharpened the attack in a social media post, accusing the TVK of “purchasing” a split AIADMK despite already having adequate outside support from the DMK allies. “If your beginning is like this, how will the end be?” Stalin stated, taking a dig at the new government’s early political manoeuvres.

The trust vote also exposed emerging ideological tensions around Vijay’s fledgling administration. Several parties, including the VCK, MJK and DMDK, criticised the appointment of astrologer Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the CM. VCK MLA Vanni Arasu demanded legislation against “superstitions such as astrology”, while the DMDK’s Premalatha Vijayakant questioned the message this appointment sent from a government that had promised modern governance. Following the trust vote, the Vijay government revoked Vettivel’s appointment.

The BJP’s lone MLA M Bhojarajan remained “neutral” during the trust vote, while the PMK’s four MLAs abstained from voting. The floor test came after days of uncertainty during which Vijay called on Governor Rajendra Arlekar repeatedly, seeking clarity on whether the TVK could demonstrate majority support in the House.

The Congress was the first party to back Vijay after the elections with its five MLAs, followed by the CPI and CPI(M). The VCK and IUML extended support after prolonged negotiations, pushing the TVK combine past the halfway mark. The backing of AIADMK rebels later transformed a fragile majority arrangement into a comfortable majority on the Assembly floor.

With the floor test concluded, the Assembly was adjourned sine die. For Vijay, this marked the first institutional test of a government born from fandom, anti-incumbency and political disruption.