Vijay govt floor test reveals raging inferno that could ravage AIADMK

Tamil Nadu CM Vijay's TVK government won the numbers battle in the Assembly on Wednesday. But the trust vote, meant to put Vijay's numbers to test, might have triggered the biggest internal war All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has faced in years.

In Short

• Vijay's TVK govt wins floor test; AIADMK emerges fractured
• EPS faces rebellion as over 30 AIADMK MLAs back Vijay
• Trust vote strengthens TVK, deepens crisis in the AIADMK

The floor test for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's government on Wednesday was meant to be a test of the Assembly's support for the new TVK government. But it became a political inferno for the Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS)-led All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) itself.

Vijay's government on Wednesday comfortably won the trust vote in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, with 144 MLAs backing the TVK government against the majority mark of 118. While the TVK government emerged victorious, the floor test ripped open the cracks within the AIADMK.

AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Wednesday said all MLAs of his party would vote against CM Vijay during the confidence motion in Tamil Nadu Assembly. This was, in fact, meant to become a test of the unity in AIADMK, which saw a majority of MLAs voice support for Vijay's TVK government on Tuesday.

In the Assembly poll results declared on May 4, the AIADMK emerged as the third-biggest party with 47 seats. While Vijay's TVK, with 108 seats, emerged as the biggest party, the MK Stalin-led DMK was the second-biggest with 59 seats.

With the support of 30 of the 47 AIADMK MLAs, the Shanmugam-led group might emerge as the majority faction within the AIADMK. The camp of 30 AIADMK MLAs had on Tuesday backed senior party leader and Thondamuthur MLA SP Velumani as their leader.

Days after the announcement of the poll results on May 4, Vijay was sworn in as the CM of Tamil Nadu on May 10.

EPS's challenge to the TVK-led coalition on Wednesday could be seen as more of an assertion of control of the AIADMK than the government itself. EPS, speaking in the Assembly, also alleged that AIADMK MLAs were offered cash to vote in favour of Vijay.

EPS is making a big gamble with this dare.

The AIADMK is facing the risk of a vertical split, with at least 30 of the 47 AIADMK MLAs led by senior party leader SP Velumani extending support to CM Vijay just days ago.

By defying AIADMK chief EPS's directive, the rebel legislators signalled where their loyalties now lie.

However, to bypass the anti-defection law and formally merge with the TVK, the rebel camp would need the support of at least two-thirds of the AIADMK legislature party, which is 31 of its 47 MLAs. It is a mark that the rebel faction is falling short of.

WHY IS THERE FEUD WITHIN THE AIADMK?

Shanmugam alleged that AIADMK General Secretary EPS was trying to ally with its decade-old rival, the DMK.

"The AIADMK was founded by MG Ramachandran (MGR) to oppose the DMK, and for five decades, we fought against them politically. But EPS sought to form a government with DMK's support and tried to back him as the Chief Minister. No MLAs agreed to the idea, and we were shocked," he said.

The AIADMK on Tuesday attacked the rebel group, led by Shanmugam and Velumani, for accusing EPS of having attempted to form a government with the support of the DMK.

The party on its X handle said that the group contended that an "assembly" of those who could not register electoral success in their home districts was "dishing out a bundle of lies".

The AIADMK accused the rebels of betraying about 1.34 crore voters who voted for the AIADMK alliance led by EPS, and abandoning cadres of the party and allies such as the BJP, the PMK and the AMMK. It added that the party didn't belong to some MLAs, and it was a movement of party workers. "Whenever the movement faced a crisis, the decision of the cadres had only eventually prevailed," the AIADMK said.

The ongoing feud within the AIADMK stems from the party's foundational opposition to the DMK, a rivalry that dates back to its formation by MGR in 1972 as a breakaway faction.

For decades, the AIADMK positioned itself as the principal Dravidian alternative to the DMK, but repeated electoral losses and leadership struggles after the death of former CM J Jayalalithaa have fractured the party.

In the larger contest for Dravidian political space, actor-turned-politician Vijay's TVK emerged as a potent third force, which capitalised on anti-incumbency and voter fatigue with both the DMK and AIADMK.

Wednesday's floor test has now consolidated Vijay's minority government. It has also accelerated the possibility of a formal split in the AIADMK.

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