Chennai: Fresh questions over the stability of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s government surfaced on Tuesday after the CPM signalled that it could rethink its support if the AIADMK becomes part of the ruling arrangement in Tamil Nadu.

The development comes less than 10 days after the formation of the TVK-led government, which is functioning with a slender majority in the Assembly.

CPM opposes any AIADMK role in coalition

Speaking to the media, CPM leaders responded to questions about the possibility of AIADMK legislators joining the ruling coalition and said such a move would go against the public mandate delivered in the Assembly election.

According to the party, voters had clearly rejected both the DMK and the AIADMK in the polls, and including any AIADMK faction in the government would contradict that verdict.

The CPM also argued that bringing the AIADMK into the coalition would run contrary to TVK’s promise of providing clean governance.

“We are supporting the TVK as Tamil Nadu is not ready for another poll and we don't want the BJP make a rear entry through Governor's rule,” the CPM said.

TVK fell short of majority despite historic win

Actor-politician C Joseph Vijay led his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to a landmark electoral victory that disrupted Tamil Nadu’s long-standing two-party political structure.

However, when the results were declared on May 4, the party had secured 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, leaving it 10 seats short of the majority mark.

The government was eventually formed after days of negotiations, with support coming from the Congress, which won five seats, along with backing from Left parties, the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), contributing eight more legislators.

Trust vote exposed rift within AIADMK

The political situation intensified further during the trust vote held on May 13.

The Vijay government secured support from 144 MLAs, including 24 legislators from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam who voted in favour of the government despite opposition from party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.

The MLAs reportedly ignored the party whip and sided with the government during the confidence motion, exposing internal divisions within the AIADMK in full public view.

The party has since initiated disciplinary proceedings against the rebel legislators, including action under the anti-defection law.

Allies uneasy over AIADMK rebels’ support

Despite the additional numbers secured during the trust vote, the backing from rebel AIADMK legislators has reportedly created discomfort among sections of the ruling camp.

Political attention has particularly focused on Vijay’s meeting with the AIADMK rebels before the trust vote, which fuelled speculation about possible future alignments.

The CPM’s latest remarks have further underlined unease within sections of the alliance regarding any formal association with the AIADMK.

Smaller parties continue dual position

The CPM and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, like the Congress earlier, were previously part of the alliance led by M K Stalin and the DMK.

However, while extending outside support to Vijay’s government, the smaller parties have continued to maintain ties with the DMK.

The Congress, on the other hand, formally ended its alliance with the DMK and shifted support to the TVK government.

The supporting parties have repeatedly said their decision was guided by the need to avoid another election and prevent the BJP and its ally AIADMK from returning to power in Tamil Nadu.

With agency inputs