Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder C Joseph Vijay comfortably won the trust vote in the state Assembly this week, with the support of 144 MLAs.
The development came after a week of intense political negotiations, a split within the AIADMK party, constitutional uncertainty, and sharp accusations of “horse trading” from rivals.
The confidence motion, moved by Vijay in the 234-member House, was passed with 144 members voting in favor, 22 against, and 5 abstaining, after the DMK staged a walkout before the vote. The support for the TVK came from its own MLAs and including those of the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK, IUML, expelled AMMK MLA S Kamaraj, and 25 rebel AIADMK legislators led by former ministers S P Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam.
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.
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”.
