Vijay-led TVK government wins Tamil Nadu Assembly floor test with 144 votes

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam TVK government led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay comfortably won the trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Wednesday securing support from alliance partners as well as a section of rebel AIADMK legislatorsThe confidence motion received support from 144 MLAs while 22 members voted against it Five MLAs chose to remain neutral during the proceedingsSpeaker JCD Prabhakar announced the results after divisionwise voting in the HouseThe victory strengthens Vijayrsquos position just days after the actorturnedpolitician assumed office as chief minister following the Assembly electionsDMK stages walkout before votingThe main opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam staged a walkout ahead of the voting process reducing the effective strength of the House during the floor testLeader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin criticised the TVK government during the Assembly proceedings before leading the walkoutldquoWe are walking out of the Assembly Once we walk out you will get the majority Govern well with itrdquo Udhayanidhi said while also urging the government not to politicise welfare schemes introduced by the previous administrationThe DMKrsquos exit from the House made the trust vote smoother for the ruling allianceCongress Left parties and VCK back TVKThe TVK government received support from alliance partners including the Congress CPI CPIM Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League IUMLThe coalition along with supporting independents and expelled legislators helped the government comfortably cross the majority markAn expelled Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam AMMK MLA S Kamaraj also voted in favour of the governmentSpeaking outside the House Kamaraj said he would continue supporting the Vijayled administration for the next five yearsThe TVK currently holds 107 Assembly seats though one of its MLAs Srinivasa Sethupathi was barred from participating in the trust vote following a Madras High Court order linked to an election petitionAIADMK rebels defy party leadershipOne of the major developments during the floor test was the apparent crossvoting by a faction of rebel legislators from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra KazhagamSenior AIADMK leaders including SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam were seen backing the government despite party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami directing all AIADMK MLAs to oppose the trust motionThe Assembly witnessed tense exchanges between rival factions within the AIADMK during the proceedingsPalaniswami alleged attempts were made to lure opposition MLAs with promises of ministerial positions and appointments to government boards in exchange for support to the ruling coalitionldquoWe are not an enemy party we wish to function as a responsible Oppositionrdquo he said in the HouseTVK marks major political breakthrough in Tamil NaduThe floor test victory marks another milestone for the TVK which emerged as the singlelargest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections ending decades of dominance by the DMKAIADMK political rivalryVijayrsquos rise has significantly altered Tamil Nadursquos political landscape with the actorrsquos party rapidly consolidating support across multiple political groupsWith inputs from Agencies