TVK government to face crucial floor test

The Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government faces a crucial floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly after Governor R. N. Ravi ordered a confidence vote. Congress and several allies extended support, while divisions emerged within the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Chennai: The C Joseph Vijay-led TVK government will face its floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday. The vote of confidence will be held in the House, in lines with Governor RV Arlekar’s directions to hold it on or before May 13.

The ruling TVK has an overall strength of 107, including the Speaker who may not vote. The party’s Tirupattur MLA, R Seenivasa Sethupathy won’t be able to cast his vote following a High Court ruling in a case filed by his rival DMK candidate, who lost to the TVK legislator by one vote in the April 23 polls.

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The ruling party has the support of five Congress MLAs. Besides, CPI, CPI (M), VCK and IUML– with two MLAs each, have already announced their outside support to the maiden TVK government.

Further, a section of AIADMK MLAs, about 30 of them who are led by senior leaders SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam and opposed to party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, have announced support to the government.

Those AIADMK MLAs owing allegiance to Palaniswami have said that they will vote against the government and warned that anti-defection would apply to party MLAs going against the diktat.