New Delhi: Ahead of a crucial floor test for the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) government in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the post-poll numbers game is changing by the day.While the elections were fought on traditional alliance lines, the fractured mandate has forced parties to seek new political equations.The latest twist came when a faction of the AIADMK led by MLAs SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam announced support to the Vijay government.Desire split in AIADMK?After meeting with senior party leaders and MLAs, Shanmugam said he would meet Chief Minister Vijay and submit a letter of support to his government.Shanmugam said, “We founded this party against the DMK. For 53 years, our politics has been focused on opposing the DMK. A proposal was made which suggested forming the AIADMK government with the support of the DMK. However, most of our members rejected it.”Velumani stressed that the move did not amount to partition.“This is not a breakup of AIADMK, but we will wait for the ‘right’ decision of the general secretary to take the party forward,” he said.He also alleged that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was keen to form the government with the support of the DMK.“We opposed that decision because AIADMK was formed only to defeat DMK,” he said.The internal rift had come to the fore earlier too when a group of AIADMK MLAs led by Shanmugam submitted a letter to Protem Speaker MV Karuppaiah demanding the appointment of Velumani as the legislature party leader.Some MLAs had also reportedly demanded Palaniswami’s resignation following the party’s poor performance in the elections.AIADMK contested 167 out of 234 constituencies but won only 47 seats.After the results, Palaniswami held several meetings with party MLAs, but many senior leaders and former ministers, including Shanmugam and Velumani, stayed away.What’s next for Vijay?After Vijay took oath as Chief Minister, Governor RV Arlekar gave him three days to prove his majority in the House.In situations where no party has a clear majority and multiple claimants claim to form the government, the Governor may call a special session to test who has the confidence of the Assembly.If some MLAs abstain or remain absent, the majority mark is determined based on the number of MLAs present and voting.TVK currently has 107 MLAs after Vijay resigned from Tiruchirappalli East seat.The party already has the support of 13 MLAs from Congress, VCK, IUML and the Left parties.Many of these parties, including the VCK, IUML and the Left, are part of the DMK-led alliance, while the Congress, which has supported the TVK, was earlier in alliance with the DMK.A new era beginsEarlier on Monday, Vijay met DMK president and former chief minister MK Stalin at his Alwarpet residence in Chennai in what was officially described as a “courtesy call”.He also met PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss as part of a high-profile outreach ahead of the floor test on May 13.How did Vijay get the marks?The path to victory till the majority figure of 118 has been absolutely easy.Congress was the first party to extend support, but its numbers alone were insufficient. The CPI, CPI(M), VCK and PMK made the TVK wait for several days before finally supporting the new government.Citing lack of clear numbers, Governor Arlekar was initially reluctant to invite Vijay to form the government. He had also asked for a list of supporting parties and MLAs from Vijay, which started being criticized across the political world.The breakthrough came when CPI and CPI(M), both parts of the DMK-led secular progressive alliance, agreed to support TVK from outside.The parties said the move was necessary “to stop Governor’s rule, prevent the BJP from entering the state and protect secularism”.The VCK and IUML later followed suit, though all said they were not breaking ties with the DMK.In a post-poll scenario where loyalties are fluid, the ultimate test of victory is yet to come.