Vijay’s Double Coup: Supreme Court Rescue and Floor Test Triumph Cement TVK’s Grip on Power
From Our Correspondent
Chennai: In a dramatic turn of events that fused courtroom intervention with legislative arithmetic, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay secured a decisive double victory on Wednesday, stabilising his fledgling government and tightening his hold over the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
The turning point came from the Supreme Court of India, which stayed a controversial interim order of the Madras High Court that had barred TVK MLA R. Sreenivasa Sethupathi from participating in Assembly proceedings. A three-judge bench came down heavily on the High Court, terming its order “atrocious” and underscoring that election disputes must follow the statutory route of an election petition under the Representation of the People Act — not a writ under Article 226.
The apex court’s swift intervention proved politically consequential. Sethupathi, whose razor-thin one-vote victory from Tiruppattur had sparked the legal battle, was reinstated in time to participate in the crucial floor test — a move that decisively tilted the balance in favour of the government.
At the centre of the controversy lies one of the closest electoral contests in recent memory. Sethupathi edged past DMK veteran KR Periakaruppan by just a single vote — 83,365 to 83,364. The defeated candidate had challenged the result, alleging that a postal ballot cast in his favour was misdirected to another constituency with a similar name and subsequently rejected, raising questions over electoral fairness.
The High Court’s earlier decision to sideline Sethupathi had cast a shadow over the government’s survival, emboldening the opposition. However, the Supreme Court’s sharp correction not only restored the MLA’s voting rights but also drew a clear line on judicial overreach in electoral matters, effectively blunting the opposition’s legal offensive.
Riding on this legal reprieve, the Vijay-led government sailed through the trust vote with comfortable numbers. The TVK-led alliance secured 144 votes in favour against just 22 opposing votes, crossing the majority mark of 118 with ease. Five MLAs abstained.
The principal opposition, the DMK under Udhayanidhi Stalin, staged a walkout ahead of the final vote, signalling its protest against the proceedings. The move, however, proved largely symbolic and did little to disrupt the government’s momentum.
If the court ruling was a blow to the DMK, the floor test exposed deeper cracks within the opposition camp. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam found itself grappling with internal dissent as 25 of its MLAs defied party chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s directive to oppose the motion and instead backed the government — a rebellion that significantly weakened opposition unity.
Beyond these fractures, the Vijay government’s stability was reinforced by the steady backing of its allies, including the Congress, VCK, IUML, Left parties, and an independent legislator — together ensuring a broad and resilient coalition.
Taken together, Wednesday’s twin victories mark a defining moment for the TVK government, still in its early months in office. The Supreme Court’s emphatic observations are likely to set a precedent discouraging similar legal challenges, while the emphatic trust vote win positions Vijay as a leader capable of navigating both judicial scrutiny and political volatility.
With the immediate crisis behind him and numbers firmly in his favour, Chief Minister Vijay now turns to the more enduring challenge of governance — even as a bruised opposition recalibrates its strategy for the battles ahead.
