Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor RV Arlekar three times, but his request was denied each time as he failed to prove a majority in the Assembly.
TVK chief Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor RV Arlekar for the fourth time today.
It took four trips to the Governor’s House to finally get the nod for a Vijay-led government in Tamil Nadu, as the Lok Bhavan accepted the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s request and cleared the way for a swearing-in on Sunday morning.
The TVK, which secured 108 seats out of the state’s 234, fell short of the majority mark required for the formation of the government and engaged in intense post-poll negotiations with several political parties in a bid to bridge the gap and come into power.
After securing the backing of two more parties on Saturday, the actor-turned-politician arrived at Lok Bhavan for the fourth time after comfortably crossing the majority mark of 118. The TVK’s tally has now reached 120.
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The Assembly election resulted in a hung verdict for the first time since 1952, with TVK winning 108 seats in the 234-member House. The DMK secured 59 seats, AIADMK 47, PMK 4, IUML 2, CPI 2 and CPI(M) 2, while BJP, DMDK and AMMK won one seat each.
The TVK had been engaged in intense post-poll negotiations to reach the magic number of 118 after Governor Arlekar turned down Vijay’s request to form the government three times, citing insufficient numbers for majority support.
It initially secured support from the Congress, which broke its decades-long alliance with the outgoing DMK. The CPI and CPI(M) extended “unconditional support” on Friday, taking the tally to 116, just shy of a majority.
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Ending a day-long impasse, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) also extended an “unconditional support” to the party on Saturday, taking the overall tally to 120.
Difficult Road Ahead
With the support of five parties, Vijay’s road to the Chief Minister’s post has been cleared, marking a watershed moment in Tamil Nadu’s politics. The ‘Thalapathy’ is expected to take the oath on Sunday to become the first non-Dravidian CM in decades.
The election has been highly unusual in Tamil Nadu’s history, as it has rarely seen a hung verdict despite involving multiple parties. Since 1967, politics has largely revolved around the two Dravidian poles — DMK and AIADMK — with national and smaller regional parties playing supporting roles.
The TVK’s dominant performance marked a significant disruption in the political process. Despite being a new player, it enjoys an overwhelming public mandate, both in vote share and seats. No single party was in a position to claim a majority on its own.
Public and political sentiment had been gearing up for ‘Vijay Sarkar’ in Tamil Nadu, banking on a historic mandate for change. However, the TVK faces a difficult road ahead, as the parties have only offered external support, making it clear that they would support the DMK in certain situations.
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