The faction led by general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami have decided to vote against the TVK government during the confidence motion, while the rebels headed by his confidant-turned-rival SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam said they would back Vijay, setting the stage for a highstakes showdown in the Assembly on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Vijay met Shanmugam and Velumani and personally thanked them for their support, while he shunned meeting Palaniswami – the only leader he is yet to meet.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of rebel MLAs at his residence, Shanmugam alleged Palaniswami had proposed securing the DMK’s support to make himself the Chief Minister. The legislators were “shocked” by the suggestion and refused to accept it, he said.

“The AIADMK was founded to oppose the DMK and has fought against it for more than five decades. If we align with the DMK, the party itself will cease to exist,” Shanmugam said.

The meeting of the AIADMK ‘legislature party’ formally resolved to support the TVK government in the Assembly, he said, adding that the MLAs have elected Velumani as the leader of the legislature party, C Vijayabaskar as whip, Hari as deputy leader, and R Kamaraj as secretary. Letters to this effect have already been submitted to the pro tem Speaker.

Asserting that they have no intention of splitting the party, Shanmugam urged Palaniswami to convene the party’s general council at the earliest. According to party bylaws, the power to convene the general council rests with the general secretary, presidium chairman, and if one-fifth of the council seeks the meeting.

However, the EPS faction has struck a defiant note. Senior leader

Agri SS Krishnamoorthy, whom Palaniswami had appointed the whip, and OS Manian said legislators loyal to Palaniswami would vote against the TVK. Krishnamoorthy said none who won on AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol should defy the whip’s order. Manian dismissed reports that Palaniswami had held alliance talks with the DMK, terming them “false propaganda.”

Meanwhile, citing the Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench verdict in the Shiv Sena split case, AIADMK Advocates Wing Secretary IS Inbadurai said only the official leadership of a political party had the authority to appoint the legislative whip and legislators could not convene separately to appoint one on their own.

TVK legislator JCD Prabhakar on Tuesday was unanimously elected as Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker. A former AIADMK veteran with stints as MLA in the past, Prabhakar joined the TVK in January.