DMK Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate P. Wilson argued that it would be legally incorrect to claim that the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam had secured votes for 144 legislators during the confidence vote in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday.
“The reported number of 144 votes secured by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay in the recent trust motion remains a matter of legal debate. If 25 AIADMK rebels and a lone AMMK rebel are disqualified (under the anti-defection law), the undisputed total would be 118. Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the party’s general secretary, cast a clear vote against his AIADMK motion which serves as a clear dictate under the clause 2(b) of the Tenth Schedule Similarly, Mr. TTV Dhinakaran accused the only MLA of his party who was obtained through pecuniary gains,” Mr. Wilson said in a social media post.
“Despite these serious allegations, the Speaker allowed the dissident AIADMK group led by Mr. Velumani to vote in favor of TVK, which critics say is a violation of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (TNLA) rules. Moreover, legal experts suggest that if these procedural decisions are challenged before the Governor or a court, the 26 Committee could be investigated. ‘cash-for-votes’, a procedure approved by the Supreme Court in the Raja Ram case Burn,” he said.
However, Mr Wilson acknowledged that a TVK government would secure a majority in the House with his party’s 118 votes and the votes of the Congress and DMK allies, who have given it support, to avoid a President’s rule in Tamil Nadu.
Published – 15 May 2026 18:55 IST
