Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai
Chennai, May 7: The Tamil Nadu Assembly election has resulted in a hung verdict, with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerging as the single largest party after winning 108 seats in the 234-member House.
Led by actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay, the party’s tally, along with the support of the Congress, has taken the alliance strength to 112 MLAs. However, it still falls short of the 118-seat majority mark required to form the government.
Amid ongoing uncertainty over government formation, Vijay met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Tuesday to stake claim to form the government. Reports indicated that the Governor advised that a formal invitation could only be extended once the party demonstrated clear majority support in the Assembly.
Vijay met the Governor again on Wednesday in a discussion lasting over 40 minutes. Following the meeting, the Governor’s office stated that the TVK leader acknowledged his party does not currently have the numbers required to independently form the government.
In a parallel effort to secure additional support, TVK leadership stepped up political outreach on Wednesday. Party General Secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar reportedly held talks with representatives of Left parties seeking their backing.
Separately, TVK representatives Arunraj and Mustafa met Indian Union Muslim League national president Kader Mohideen to seek support for the proposed government formation.
After the meeting, Mohideen confirmed that TVK had formally approached his party and stated that Vijay, as leader of the single largest party, has a democratic right to stake claim. However, he added that the final decision would be taken only after consultations with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leadership, led by M. K. Stalin.
The Indian Union Muslim League currently holds discussions with its long-standing ally DMK before finalising its stance.
TVK is currently short of at least six MLAs to reach the majority mark. The Left parties and the Indian Union Muslim League together hold six seats, making them crucial to Vijay’s government formation efforts.
Meanwhile, party leaders clarified that TVK will not seek support from the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, ruling out any alignment with the BJP bloc as coalition talks continue.