Tamil Nadu Floor Test: Vijay Government Wins Trust Vote With 144 MLAs, DMK Walks Out

In a major political development in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Thalapathy Vijay successfully proved his government’s majority on the floor of the Assembly on Wednesday. The confidence motion received support from 144 legislators in the 234-member House, comfortably crossing the required majority mark.

The victory comes amid intense political drama and shifting alliances in the state. Vijay’s party, TVK, had secured 107 seats in the Assembly elections and later gathered support from alliance partners including Congress, Left parties, VCK, Muslim League and several independent and rebel legislators.

A section of rebel MLAs from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam also voted in favour of the government, giving an unexpected boost to the ruling coalition. Reports suggest nearly 30 legislators from the AIADMK camp distanced themselves from party leadership ahead of the trust vote.

The rebels accused AIADMK leadership of creating political uncertainty in the state and decided to support the Vijay-led administration for what they described as “political stability and governance continuity”.

After the vote, Vijay thanked alliance partners and supporting legislators, saying his government would focus on development, welfare programmes and stable governance. He also assured the Assembly that existing public welfare schemes launched by previous governments would continue without interruption.

The biggest opposition party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, boycotted the trust vote and staged a walkout before voting began.

DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin criticised the floor test proceedings inside the House and announced that the party would abstain from the voting process. According to the DMK, the political developments leading to the confidence vote raised serious questions about the mandate and legitimacy of the government.

The boycott intensified political tensions in the Assembly and triggered fresh debate over alliance politics and internal divisions within opposition ranks.

Before the voting process, AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami had instructed party MLAs to oppose the Vijay government during the confidence motion. However, the emergence of a rebel faction weakened the party’s united stand in the Assembly.

The political split within AIADMK is now being seen as a significant turning point in Tamil Nadu politics, with analysts expecting further realignments in the coming weeks.

Several regional and alliance parties played a decisive role in helping the TVK government cross the majority mark. Support from Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK and Muslim League strengthened the coalition’s numbers during the crucial vote.

However, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam refused to support the government. DMDK leaders criticised the appointment of an astrologer-linked advisor in the Chief Minister’s Office and questioned the message it sends to young voters in the state.

Despite opposition attacks and political uncertainty, the Vijay-led government managed to comfortably survive its first major Assembly test.