Tamil Nadu: TVK govt stable after 6 months, struggles to meet high expectations

• The TVK government headed by C. Joseph Vijay completed six months in office on 10 November. It has earned praise for being more transparent and less corrupt but is also blamed for not fulfilling all its pre-poll promises

• The government with 97 first-timers among 107 TVK MLAs has a thin majority in the Assembly and looks unstable on paper but with DMK and AIADMK with 59 and 47 MLAs respectively short of the 118 required for a majority, there is no imminent threat

• The chief minister called a meeting of the TVK MLAs on 11 November at a private resort, fuelling speculation. Reports hold that the CM called for unity and exhorted MLAs to avoid controversies

Various accounts suggest that Tamil Nadu chief minister C. Joseph Vijay has warned his MLAs of attempts to topple the government. He has also asked them to be prepared to face a no-confidence vote in the Assembly, now that the Government has sailed through the first six months. While political observers rule out an imminent threat of large-scale defections from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), both DMK and AIADMK have sharpened attacks on the government in recent weeks. Surveys also suggest that the government may have lost some of the goodwill it had initially.

By choosing to hold the meeting with TVK MLAs in a private resort near Mamallapuram on Wednesday, the chief minister fuelled speculation. MLAs were initially asked to assemble in Chennai and the venue was confirmed later, prompting speculation that the legislators had been moved to a resort amid fears of defections.  While officially it was said to be a review meeting, the meeting coming in the wake of controversies involving deputy speaker Ravishankar and TVK MLA Arul Vignesh also added to the suspense. The chief minister is reported to have met the MLAs in batches of 10 besides holding one-on-one meetings with Vignesh and the deputy speaker.

Deputy speaker Ravishankar was recently filmed assaulting a person who had approached him with a complaint. Vignesh is accused of inappropriate behaviour towards Kallakurichi district collector Padmaja. The CM is reported to have reprimanded both legislators and cautioned them that the party would take action if they brought disrepute to the government or TVK. While explanations offered by the two are not known, Vignesh has denied sending any inappropriate message to the Collector. The DMK however submitted a representation to the DGP on Thursday demanding a CID inquiry and police action against the legislator.

The CM is said to have exchanged Deepavali greetings and gifts while asking them to focus on their constituencies, address public complaints, and prioritise issues affecting people. Several legislators are said to have raised difficulties they had faced while dealing with government officials. CM urged the MLAs to remain vigilant and not get drawn into unnecessary controversies that could affect the public image of the party and the government.

The TVK government had secured the vote of confidence in the assembly in May 2026 with 144 MLAs voting in its favour. Around 25 AIADMK legislators were said to have voted in favour of the confidence motion after defying the whip. The DMK had walked out and did not vote. The core support group of the ruling coalition comprise 120 MLAs, just two more than the majority mark. While it makes the government look fragile, it would require a large-scale defection from the TVK and both DMK and AIADMK coming together for the government to fall, which most observers believe is unlikely at the moment.

The TVK legislative party is relatively young with the average age of MLAs being 44 compared to 57-59 being the average age of DMK and AIADMK legislators. TVK has 35 MLAs below the age of 40 while the DMK is said to have just two and the AIADMK three. While the TVK MLAs are drawn from various fields and are professionals, lawyers, doctors and former sportspersons, DMK and AIADMK legislators are mostly career politicians who have long experience of rising from the ranks. This inexperience of the MLAs, observers note, brings in freshness but is also a source of worry.