TVK chief Vijay meets Tamil Nadu Governor and stakes claim to form govt, but still short of numbers

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay called on Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at the Lok Bhavan in Chennai on Wednesday and staked claim to form the next government in Tamil Nadu, putting all speculations to rest and ending the uncertainty. The actor-turned-politician met the governor after the Congress party broke its alliance with the DMK and announced its support for him. Meanwhile, several leaders in the AIADMK are also in favour of supporting Vijay.

However, sources said that the governor is not yet convinced about TVK’s claim, since the party is still short of the official figure to prove majority support. The governor is reported to have told Vijay to come with the backing of the needed 118 MLAs, setting off a fresh round of political scrambling.

TVK, which emerged as the single-largest party after the assembly election, fell short of 10 seats to hit the majority mark of 118. Even after support of Congress, which has five seats, the TVK is still short of the magical number. Moreover, since Vijay won two seats, he will have to leave one.

The VCK, which won two seats, is also holding discussions on its decision and strategy.

Also Read: ‘Verify, think before sharing,’ says Giorgia Meloni after her AI-made image in lingerie goes viral

The DMK bagged 59 seats, the AIADMK 47, the PMK 4, the IUML 2, the CPI 2, the CPI(M) 2, and the BJP, DMDK, and AMMK a seat each.

The Congress made the formal announcement to be a part of the government on Wednesday morning, following which party workers broke into celebrations. Congress said there is one condition for its support to the TVK: communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution should be kept out of the alliance.

Also Read: ‘Iran beaten badly, its navy reduced to little boats with machine guns,’ says Trump

Meanwhile, the DMK said that the Congress has “backstabbed the people of Tamil Nadu” by deciding to support the TVK.

DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai said the Congress is “self-destructing” for the sake of two berths in the TVK cabinet.

“I think this is a very short-sighted, myopic stand taken by the Congress, which they will regret. The 2029 general elections are coming, and we are confident of defeating the BJP. But this decision makes Congress an unstable partner. The perception across the country is that Congress cannot be trusted,” Sarvanan said.

Also Read: ‘Iran cannot be allowed to block Hormuz,’ says Pete Hegseth, warns Tehran would face ‘overwhelming firepower’

The BJP also targeted the Congress for breaking its pre-poll alliance with the DMK and said that the development is like the “last rites” of the INDIA bloc.

“There is nobody whom the Congress has not deceived. Imagine what they will do to the Samajwadi Party if they have done this to the DMK,” BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said.

The TVK’s massive win has broken the traditional duopoly of the DMK and AIADMK. MK Stalin, who also lost the election from Kolathur seat, has already resigned as the chief minister.