Tamil Nadu CM Vijay wins confidence vote, triggers intense clash within AIADMK over party control

TAmil Nadu chief government minister C chief joseph Vijay comfortably won a cartel voter turnout in the gathering on Wednesday but the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) sank deeper into crisis after a majority of its 47 lawmakers voted in favour of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).Hours after the trust vote, former chief minister E Palaniswami removed 26 leaders, including 12 legislators,from all party posts and appointed his own picks to replace them. But the leader of the rebel group, CV Shanmugam, called the action invalid and said they will fight it.Three days after Vijay took oath as the first chief minister of Tamil Nadu to not hail from either Dravidian major, the actor-turned-politician garnered 144 votes in the 234-member House, securing the support of alliance partners Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Indian Union Muslim League, and 25 AIADMK lawmakers, led by legislators SP Velumani and Shanmugam.The main opposition party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, walked out of the House, alleging ‘horse-trading”. Only 22 members of the AIADMK, led by Palaniswami, voted against the government as a clutch of smaller parties, such as the Bharatiya Janata Party, abstained.“This government runs at horse-speed, not through horse-trading,” Vijay said.But the TVK’s triumph was overshadowed by the crisis brewing within the AIADMK, where both factions had previously elected their own legislative party leaders and submitted claims to the speaker of being the original party. The factionalism is reminiscent of the split in the AIADMK following the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, which eventually reached the Election Commission. At that time, Palaniswami emerged the winner.On Wednesday evening, Palaniswami removed Shanmugam, Velumani and C Vijayabhaskar, leaders of the rival faction, from their respective party posts. He also removed 23others from the posts they held in districts, and other office-bearers considered close to the faction leaders.Also Read: Chaos, criticism, walkout: Vijay's trust vote win in Tamil Nadu did not lack dramaPalaniswami did not reveal the reasons behind the removals but appointed new members as district secretaries.Shanmugam rejected the removals. “Palaniswami is planning to hold the general council meeting by removing us from party posts. We will take part in the general council meeting. No one can stop us,” he said.But Palaniswami’s loyalists alleged that the 25 people who backed Vijay will face proceedings under the anti-defection law, which requires a faction to command two-thirds strength to escape disqualification.“The anti-defection law under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution will certainly apply to any AIADMK MLA who acts against the orders of the official whip appointed by Palaniswami,” said AIADMK MP Rajya Sabha I S Inbadurai.“During a vote of confidence in the assembly, if an MLA votes against the orders issued by the party’s official whip, refrains from participating in the voting, or remains neutral, it will be considered as defection. Just because some people function as a separate faction or claim to have the support of a majority of MLAs, they cannot appoint a whip separately,” he said.But Shanmugam argued that they had elected their own whip.A decision on disqualification under the anti-defection law will have to be taken by the speaker – currently TVK’s JCD Prabhakar– and eventually the courts.Shortly after the assembly proceedings began, the differences in the AIADMK spilt into the floor of the House.Palaniswami said all 47 AIADMK lawmakers will vote against the TVK. Speaker Prabhakar then allowed Velumani to speak, triggering sharp reactions from Palaniswami who said Velumani was not authorised to speak. Prabhakar said he invited Velumani to speak. Velumani said his party lawmakers will vote in favour of the TVK.“We, as legislators of the AIADMK will vote for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam,” he said.Palaniswami later told reporters that giving a chance to Velumani was against the rules of the Assembly. “The party has appointed Agri S S Krishnamurthy as its whip, and some former ministers (of AIADMK) who were elected as MLAs issued statements that amounted to betraying AIADMK and violating political discipline,” he said.Palaniswami alleged that the government was formed by luring some AIADMK members with ministerial posts and board appointments. Observing that the AIADMK lawmakers were elected under the party’s ‘Two Leaves’ symbol, Palaniswami said, “Instead of remaining loyal to the party, they have betrayed it. This is against the law and justice.”Shanmugam said on behalf of the AIADMK, 25 MLAs supported Vijay, and accused Palaniswami of lying. “The letter that legislative party leader, whip, treasurer were selected by conducting a legislative party meeting and given by the EPS to the Speaker is fake. Because, there was no such meetings conducted,” he alleged.Shanmugan alleged Palaniswami told legislators to sign a resolution making him the CM candidate in a DMK-supported government and that those who signed would be given ministerial berths.“I told him that forming a government with the backing of the DMK is against the founding principles of the AIADMK. It cannot happen. Since he is power-hungry, he wanted to become the CM,” he said.Also Read: Vijay finally proves majority, passes floor test with backing from 144 MLAsHe added that a legislature party meeting was conducted and a resolution was passed in which Velumani was elected as legislature party leader and C Vijayabhaskar as the whip. “This resolution copy was presented to the speaker,” he said, claiming Palaniswami did not conduct any legislative party meeting.Velumani said their intention was not to split the party but to strengthen it.“Those who have left the kazhagam (AIADMK) should be invited back including VK Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran into the fold and the party should be strengthened. We do not have any intention to split the party,” he said.This is not the first time that a battle over the AIADMK has broken out.The dispute erupted after J Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016, when rival factions led by Palaniswami, O Panneerselvam and VK Sasikala all staked claim to the iconic two-leaves symbol, prompting the Election Commission to freeze it. In November 2017, after the Palaniswami and Pannerselvam factions merged, EC allotted the two-leaves symbol, based on the majority support they commanded in both the organisational and legislature wings of the party.In June 2022, Pannerselvam was expelled from the party, triggering a fresh dispute. Panneerselvam’s son and former MPs KC Palaniswamy, V Pugazhendi and others approached EC, challenging the amendments to AIADMK’s bylaws and Palaniswami’s appointment as general secretary in July 2022. EC resumed hearings on April 28, 2025, after the Madras high court vacated a stay order that had halted the inquiry into the party’s internal affairs. The second-round symbol dispute remained unresolved heading into the 2026 assembly elections, with Palaniswami contesting as AIADMK’s chief ministerial candidate under the two leaves symbol.