A fissure within the AIADMK cracked open in full public view on Wednesday as 25 MLAs from the SP Velumani-CV Shanmugam faction broke ranks with party chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami and voted in favour of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's TVK government during the floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
The incident delivered both a symbolic and numerical blow to the opposition even as EPS sat metres away, watching his party fracture in real time.
In total, 171 MLAs were present in the Assembly after the DMK staged a walkout. Of these, 144 supported the confidence motion moved by Vijay, 22 voted against, and 5 abstained — a commanding result that effectively settled the question of majority before a single count was needed.
The Numbers, Party-by-Party
A total of 144 MLAs voted in favour of the confidence motion, with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam contributing 105 votes. The Congress backed the government with 5 votes, while the CPI, CPI(M), VCK, and IUML extended support with 2 MLAs each.
The SP Velumani-led faction of AIADMK added 25 votes to the tally, while an Independent MLA expelled from AMMK also voted in favour of the motion.
Opposing the motion were 22 MLAs, all belonging to the Edappadi K. Palaniswami-aligned AIADMK camp. Meanwhile, the PMK's four MLAs and the BJP's lone legislator abstained from voting.
EPS In the Assembly — And A Party Defied
Palaniswami told the Assembly that AIADMK would not support the TVK government, alleging attempts to lure MLAs with ministerial posts and board chairman positions in exchange for their support.
Edappadi K Palaniswami said all AIADMK MLAs will oppose the trust vote. "I hear some of our MLAs are being lured for ministerial berths and other positions. I hope you don't derail from your promise of clean governance," he said.
His remarks triggered a commotion in the Assembly after Speaker JCD Prabhakar invited rebel leader S.P. Velumani to participate in the trust vote debate. AIADMK members objected strongly, but the Speaker maintained that he had the authority to allow any member to speak. Velumani began his address amid loud protests from Palaniswami supporters and extended his support to the TVK government.
Amid commotion, rebel AIADMK leader SP Velumani said AIADMK MLAs will support the trust vote. "We are not after power, we have been in the opposition for more than 30 years. People have given the mandate supporting Vijay," he said.
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The Faction's Reasoning
CV Shanmugam explained the rebel faction's position, saying: "We founded this party against the DMK. For 53 years, our politics have been centred around opposing the DMK. A proposal was put forward suggesting an AIADMK government be formed with DMK support. However, the majority of our members rejected it."
The reference was to speculation of a DMK-AIADMK post-election understanding — the very trigger that drove the faction toward Vijay. The 25 rebel MLAs, led by senior leaders SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam, have questioned Palaniswami's leadership following the party's debacle in the April 23 assembly polls, where it won only 47 out of the 164 seats it contested.
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