CHENNAI: Transitioning from a party leader scrambling for the support of 10 MLAs to a chief minister winning a confidence motion by a 144-22 majority on Wednesday, C Joseph Vijay has passed the first litmus test in assembly.The result was brought about by the 59 DMK MLAs walking out of the House and 25 of the AIADMK MLAs led by S P Velumani and C Ve Shanmyugam voting in favour of the motion. The four PMK legislators and the only BJP MLA abstained from voting. “I thank the people and the MLAs who voted for me,” Vijay said. Governor R V Arlekar had set May 13 as the deadline for the motion.The 22 MLAs who voted against the motion were from the AIADMK camp supporting party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. MLAs of Congress, CPM, CPI, VCK and IUML, along with the lone AMMK member, backed the TVK govt.
Opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin said DMK MLAs were staying away from the voting to facilitate a majority for the TVK govt. DMDK MLA Premalatha Vijayakant also walked out. TVK’s Tirupattur MLA R Seenivasa Sethupathy did not cast his vote following a high court ruling in a petition filed by his DMK rival challenging his one-vote victory.The AIADMK split played out openly in the assembly. Velumani said they are backing TVK in deference to the people’s mandate.The session began with Vijay moving the motion. Leaders then spoke on the motion before voting was conducted through the division method.Under the procedure, the assembly bell was rung twice before the doors were shut to prevent members from entering or leaving. MLAs supporting the motion were first asked to rise, followed by those opposing it.A total of 171 MLAs participated in the vote, of whom 144 backed the motion. Three votes – those of the Speaker, Tirupattur MLA Srinivasa Sethupathi and the vacant Trichy East seat vacated by Vijay – were not cast.Vijay said the mandate received by TVK in its maiden assembly election reflected the people’s faith in a “govt of commoners”. He noted that the party had contested independently and secured a vote share of 34.92%, with more than 1.72 crore votes.“To those who call this a minority govt, I say yes, this is indeed a minority govt – a govt that will truly protect minorities,” Vijay said, echoing a remark made by late chief minister M. Karunanidhi in 2006 when DMK formed a minority govt. He added that his govt would work for “women, children, senior citizens, youth, govt employees, teachers and the working class.”He said the near-majority verdict for TVK within three years of its launch demonstrated the people’s trust in the party. “This is not a govt formed for power or authority. This is a govt formed to repay the trust reposed by the people,” he said.Invoking TVK’s ideological leaders social reformer Periyar E V Ramasamy, K Kamaraj, B R Ambedkar, Velu Nachiyar and Anjalai Ammal, Vijay said the govt would function on the principles of social justice, equal opportunity, secularism and democracy.“There will be no discrimination between those who voted for us and those who did not. This is a govt for everyone,” he said.
