TVK Govt wins Tamil Nadu assembly floor test with 144 MLAs voting in favour
Chennai, May 13 (TNT): Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government led by C. Joseph Vijay won a crucial floor test in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, with 144 MLAs voting in favour.
In the high-stakes trust vote, 22 MLAs voted against the government while five abstained.
With the victory in the House, the actor-turned-politician has formed the first coalition government led by a new entrant in Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian political era, breaking the decades-long dominance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Ahead of the trust vote, Vijay held meetings with leaders of supporting parties and independent legislators to consolidate support.
The TVK government received backing from the Indian National Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Indian Union Muslim League, a breakaway faction of the AIADMK, and AMMK MLA S. Kamaraj.
With allies rallying behind the ruling camp, the government now claims the support of around 150 MLAs in the 234-member House, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 118.
The floor test also triggered a major split within the AIADMK. While the faction led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami instructed party MLAs not to support the TVK government and warned of disciplinary action against those defying the whip, another faction led by S. P. Velumani extended support to Vijay.
The rebel camp, which claims the backing of nearly 30 MLAs, announced its decision after a meeting at the residence of senior leader C. V. Shanmugam.
VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan also declared unconditional support to Vijay, stating that the move was aimed at preventing the imposition of President’s Rule in Tamil Nadu if the government failed to secure the required numbers.
After winning the trust vote in the House, Chief Minister Vijay thanked parties and MLAs for supporting the government during the trust vote and said the TVK had emerged as the single-largest party with a mandate comparable to the 1967 and 1977 elections.
“If some want to call this a minority government, we accept it happily. We will protect minority communities and govern for all sections of people,” Vijay said
He assured that the government would function on the principles of secularism and social justice.
TNT KS
