TVK chief Vijay’s path to becoming Tamil Nadu’s next Chief Minister hit an unexpected pause Wednesday after Governor Rajendra Arlekar insisted that the party produce documentary proof of majority support before any invitation to form the government, The Indian Express has learnt.
The Governor’s stand has complicated the actor-politician’s fast-moving coalition calculations. TVK won 108 seats in the , but its tally is effectively 107 since Vijay will have to vacate one of the two constituencies he contested from and won. In the resulting 233-member House, the majority mark becomes 117.
On Wednesday, what initially appeared to be a political breakthrough for TVK — the of its five MLAs — subsequently appeared to be shutting other doors for the party.
The Congress formally offered support on the condition that Vijay keep “communal forces” and NDA allies out of the proposed arrangement. The understanding, sources said, also included broader political coordination for upcoming local body elections, contests and the next Lok Sabha polls.
That commitment appears to have altered the calculations of parties in the NDA camp. , Anbumani Ramadoss-led PMK (4 MLAs) and T V Dhinakaran’s AMMK (1 MLA), who until Wednesday morning had maintained informal but ambiguous lines of communication with TVK intermediaries, have now begun distancing themselves from the possibility of supporting a Vijay-led government.
Sources in several NDA allies told The Indian Express that the Congress-TVK understanding had fundamentally changed the situation. Two NDA insiders indicated that “” had conveyed that alliance parties should not facilitate a TVK government backed by Congress.
That has left Vijay in a tightening arithmetic trap. With Congress’s five MLAs on board, he still requires support from at least five more legislators.
Even as the search for numbers continues, TVK intermediaries are learnt to have reached out to VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, with two MLAs, and PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss. Sections within AIADMK are also said to be reassessing options amid fears that a prolonged deadlock could trigger defections or fresh political realignments.
Sources in VCK indicated that the party could formally announce support on Thursday, potentially adding two seats. Even then, TVK would remain short by three MLAs. The CPI (2 MLAs) has deferred a decision pending a high-level meeting on May 8, while sources in the CPM (2 MLAs) said the party leadership was still deliberating internally. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also reportedly in touch with Left leaders as efforts continued to stabilise the numbers.
The immediate disruption, however, came from Raj Bhavan. During his meeting with Vijay, the Governor is learnt to have reiterated that any claim to form the government must be accompanied by a list demonstrating support from at least 117 MLAs.
“During their exchange, the Governor reminded Vijay that he had already conveyed during an earlier phone conversation that documentary proof of majority support would be essential,” said TVK sources. Raj Bhavan sources indicated that the Governor is expected to leave for Kerala on Thursday.
The development has effectively derailed on Thursday or Friday, where Vijay and three or four senior colleagues would take oath before seeking two weeks to prove majority on the Assembly floor.
