Vijay’s confidence vote in the Tamil Nadu Assembly is set to test both the stability of the TVK government and the future unity of the AIADMK amid a growing rebellion within the party.
Tamil Nadu’s CM and TVK chief – Joseph Vijay has to face an important floor test on Wednesday, as his newly formed TVK coalition govt. seeks to prove its majority in the assembly.
However, a parallel political battle has arisen inside the AIADMK regarding the trust vote, where a rebel group has openly supported Vijay’s government.
Thalapathy’s TVK had won 108 seats in the April assembly election, falling short of 10 seats to acquire a majority of 118. The party later joined hands with the Congress, VCK, CPI, CPM and IUML to form its government, all former allies of DMK.
Political attention has now shifted to support from a dissident AIADMK camp led by C Ve Shanmugam and SP Velumani. The group claims to have the backing of nearly 30 MLAs from the party’s total strength of 47 legislators, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Rebel Camp Backs TVK Government
Ahead of the trust vote, Vijay visited Shanmugam’s Chennai residence, where the rebel camp formally pledged support to the TVK government, according to Hindustan Times.
Calling the rebellion “a new life” for the AIADMK, Shanmugam said the party needed revival after years of decline following the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in 2016. Referring to her as “Amma”, he argued that supporting Vijay was the right political direction for the party.
However, the official AIADMK leaders did not remain idle. The party president EK Palaniswami, who is known as EPS, instructed all his legislators to oppose the confidence motion.
Senior leader Agri SS Krishnamurthy confirmed that a formal party whip had been issued and warned of legal action against MLAs who defied it.
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Anti-Defection Law in Focus
The trust vote has brought the anti-defection law under focus.
Under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, MLAs can face disqualification if they vote against their party whip. However, the law also provides protection if at least two-thirds of a legislature party breaks away together as part of a merger.
For the AIADMK rebels, that number stands at 32 MLAs out of the party’s total 47 legislators. The rebel group has been noted for claiming support from around 30 MLA’s, leaving it close to the requirement, Hindustan Times report.
The Speaker of the Assembly, JCD Prabhakar, is expected to play a crucial role if disqualification petitions are filed after the trust vote.
Meanwhile, the EPS camp has denied reports of a major split. An AIADMK legislator named OS Manian declared that all 47 MLAs had already signed documents in favor of making EPS their party leader in the state legislature.
Moreover, he alleged that the rebels were planning to become ministers in Vijay’s cabinet.
What the Trust Vote Could Decide?
In case the rebels choose to support Vijay and cross the 32-mark, they may use the anti-defection law for protection, which will lead to further fragmentation of the party.
This will make Vijay’s majority stronger and will make the government less reliant on their political alliances.
However, in case the rebels fail to cross the requisite number, Vijay will still emerge victorious through his political allies, while the dissidents will run the risk of facing disqualification proceedings.
Internal strife has been the norm for AIADMK ever since Jayalalithaa’s death. The rift between VK Sasikala and O Panneerselvam has already been followed by more fights for power within the party, which include EPS.
Now, however, yet another upheaval looms on the horizon, which will certainly be the next stage of the ongoing post-Jayalalithaa turmoil within AIADMK after their failure in the 2026 Tamil Nadu state elections.
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