Tamil Nadu Today: Vijay’s TVK government wins floor test in Assembly

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay delivers speech at the Legislative Assembly after the floor test in Chennai on May 13, 2026 | Photo Credit: ANI/@CMOTamilnadu

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party leader C. Joseph Vijay passed his first hurdle in the Legislative Assembly, winning the trust vote on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly with 144 ‘ayes’ on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) with the support of the CPI, CPI(M), VCK, and IUML, from the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) led by the DMK, as well as that of 25 rebel AIADMK MLAs and the lone expelled AMMK MLA.

Ahead of the commencement of voting, the Leader of the Opposition, Udhayanidhi Stalin led a walkout of all the DMK MLAs along with the lone DMDK MLA, Premallatha Vijayakant, after delivering a speech criticising the TVK government.

Meanwhile, commotion broke out in the House when Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar allowed rebel AIADMK leader S.P. Velumani to speak after the party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s speech. As a clear indication of rift in the Dravidian party, 25 MLAs including Mr. Velumani voted for the confidence motion, 22 MLAs from Mr. Palaniswami’s camp voted against it. Four PMK MLAs and the lone BJP MLA ‘abstained’ from voting.

Later in the evening, Mr. Palaniswami removed all the rebel camp MLAs from party posts.

A day after appointment, the Tamil Nadu government revoked its Government Order (G.O.), which appointed Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel – an astrologer – as the Officer on Special Duty (Political) to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, following criticism from various quarters, including those made in the Assembly earlier in the day.

The Madras High Court stayed the operation of a notice issued by the Cyber Crime Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police on May 8, asking X Corp to immediately remove or disable access to 18 posts, which reportedly contained “provocative and politically sensitive remarks capable of inciting public unrest and disturbing public tranquilit