CM Vijay Wins TN Assembly Floor Test with 144 Votes, It's not a Horse Trade Government

TVK has 107 seats in the Assembly. The party also has the backing of Congress, VCK, IUML, CPI and CPM, which together extended support to the Vijay-led government. However, TVK MLA Srinivasa Sethupathi was restrained by the Madras High Court from participating in the floor test as an MLA, reducing one vote from Vijay's side.

AMMK MLA S. Kamaraj also extended support to the TVK government, changing his earlier position after making forgery-related allegations.

A major turning point came after a section of AIADMK MLAs rebelled against party chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami on May 12. The rebel MLAs accused him of attempting to ally with the DMK, their political rival.

Following the revolt, the group announced support for Vijay's government.

Leader of Opposition and DMK MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin said the DMK would not participate in the voting and staged a walkout from the Assembly. He criticised the TVK government and said that many people who had voted for Vijay had already begun to feel disappointed.

"There should be a secular government. Almost 65% of the people rejected Vijay as Chief Minister. The majority did not vote for him. People are now wondering how long this government will last," Udhayanidhi Stalin said.

After winning the floor test, Chief Minister Vijay thanked all alliance parties and MLAs who supported his government. He assured the Assembly that all welfare schemes introduced by the previous government would continue.

"This is not a horse-trading government. This is a government moving ahead at the speed of a horse," Vijay said.

The Assembly session also witnessed criticism over the appointment of Radhan Pandit, reportedly Vijay's astrologer, as Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister. DMK MLA Thamimun Ansari said his party walked out partly to oppose the appointment.

"We appreciate TVK's efforts, but we condemn the appointment of an astrologer as a government officer. Hence, we walked out," Ansari said. He also called the AIADMK split a matter of concern.

DMDK General Secretary and MLA Premalatha Vijayakanth also criticised the appointment, saying the people of Tamil Nadu condemned the decision to appoint Radhan Pandit to a senior post.

Following the controversy, TVK later revoked the appointment order.

IUML MLA Shah Jahan said his party would support the TVK government for the next five years.

Udhayanidhi Stalin also took a dig at Vijay, asking him to focus on "real government, not reel government." He said TVK had released several schemes and orders before the election and urged the government to implement at least some of them.

With the floor test victory, CM Vijay's TVK government has cleared its first major political challenge. However, the opposition's criticism, the AIADMK rebellion, and the controversy over appointments indicate that the new government may continue to face strong political pressure in the coming days.