Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay (TVK) won a trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on May 13, 2024, securing 144 votes [1].
The victory stabilizes a minority government that had been in power for only four days. It demonstrates Vijay's ability to build a working coalition by drawing support from opposition defectors and partners to surpass the majority mark of 118 [1].
The floor test was marked by a walkout from the DMK. The TVK government's majority was bolstered by a significant split within the AIADMK, with between 24 and 25 rebel MLAs from that party supporting the Chief Minister [3, 4]. In contrast, only 22 votes were cast against the trust motion [5].
Following the vote, Chief Minister Vijay revoked the appointment of Radhan Pandit, an astrologer who served as Officer on Special Duty (OSD). The decision came after the appointment drew criticism from coalition allies and opposition parties.
"No horse trading, govt for everyone," Vijay said [6]. He said his administration is a "government that safeguards minorities" [7].
Opposition leaders reacted to the results. AIADMK leader CV Shanmugam criticized the astrologer's failed predictions regarding the political landscape, saying, "He failed to foresee his own fate" [8].
“"No horse trading, govt for everyone"”
The trust vote confirms that the TVK government has successfully leveraged internal fractures within the AIADMK to secure a legislative majority. By removing the astrologer from the OSD position, Vijay is signaling a transition from the early, controversial appointments of his first few days in office toward a more conventional administrative approach to appease his coalition partners.
