A standoff over Tamil Nadu cabinet positions has emerged between Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and a faction of AIADMK defectors whose support is critical to the survival of the new government. Following the fractured April assembly election mandate, rebel leader S.P. Velumani is demanding eight ministerial portfolios, while Vijay is maintaining a strict limit of five posts.
The negotiations follow the May 13 floor test in the 231-member assembly. Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single largest party with 105 seats but fell short of the 117-seat halfway mark. The TVK government secured 144 votes to pass the trust vote, relying heavily on a defection of 25 AIADMK MLAs led by Velumani and C.Ve. Shanmugam.
The defection has severely fractured the AIADMK structure. The rebel faction broke away after Shanmugam publicly accused AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami of attempting to form a government with the backing of their primary rivals, the DMK. According to a report by The Hindu, this accusation regarding the proposed DMK support led the Velumani-led camp to shift their allegiance to Vijay.
The power-sharing impasse remains unresolved as both sides negotiate the final cabinet composition. A report by the Indian Express highlighted the rebel faction’s push to secure these cabinet roles and the resulting collapse of the party structure previously led by Palaniswami. Chief Minister Vijay has not indicated whether he will increase his offer beyond the five proposed ministries.