Vijay’s Big Floor Test Blockbuster: 144 MLAs Back TVK as AIADMK Splits, DMK Walks Out

Tamil Nadu’s newest government wasted no time making history. In a politically charged and drama-filled session on Wednesday, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) sailed through the floor test in the State Assembly , securing the support of 144 MLAs , while 22 voted against the confidence motion and five abstained . What unfolded inside the House was equal parts political theatre and democratic reckoning, marked by a high-profile walkout, a fractured opposition, and a major split within the AIADMK .

TVK, founded by actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay , had emerged as the single largest party in its very first election in the April 23 polls , winning 108 seats and ending a decades-long dominance of Dravidian parties in the state. The floor test became the first major trial of that mandate, and Vijay cleared it with a decisive margin.

The most dramatic shift came from the AIADMK , which split sharply on the floor of the House. Senior leaders S P Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam , along with several others, led 25 rebel MLAs to vote in favour of the confidence motion, defying a whip issued by party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami . The Palaniswami faction, consisting of 22 MLAs , voted against the government, exposing deep internal fault lines within the opposition camp.

Tensions escalated inside the Assembly as rival AIADMK factions confronted each other in full public view during the vote. The Congress, CPI, CPM, VCK and IUML extended outside support to the TVK government, further strengthening Vijay’s position in the House.

The DMK , led by Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin , staged a walkout and refused to participate in the voting process, alleging political engineering and defections. Stalin described the developments as “not a change, but an exchange.” The BJP , with its lone MLA, remained neutral, while the PMK abstained from voting.

In a key legal development during the proceedings, the Supreme Court stayed a Madras High Court order that had barred TVK MLA R Sreenivasa Sethupathy from participating in the vote, allowing him to take part in the floor test.

Beyond the Assembly, the government moved swiftly on governance and policy signalling. It announced the closure of 717 state-run liquor outlets located near places of worship, educational institutions, and transport hubs, a move seen as both populist and politically symbolic, drawing mixed reactions across parties.

Chief Minister Vijay also wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar , seeking urgent diplomatic intervention for the release of Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan authorities and the return of seized boats. At the same time, his party enforced strict internal discipline, banning cadres from erecting banners and placards in public spaces and warning of stringent action against violations.

For a government barely days old, the opening week has been anything but quiet. Vijay entered politics as an outsider; he exits the week as a Chief Minister already tested by numbers, alliances, and internal fractures in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.