TAMIL NADU, (India): A tense political day unfolded in Tamil Nadu on Thursday (May 7) after Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar told C Joseph Vijay that his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, did not yet have enough support in the Assembly to form the government.
The development came after days of political movement across the state, with parties holding discussions, leaders exchanging letters, and alliance partners trying to calculate whether a new government could actually survive on the Assembly floor.
Governor meets Vijay at Lok Bhavan
According to an official release issued from Lok Bhavan in Chennai, Governor Arlekar invited Vijay for a meeting on May 7.
During the interaction, the Governor reportedly explained that the numbers required to form the government had not been established. The statement made it clear that a party or alliance must show majority support in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly before being invited to take office.
TVK had approached the Governor claiming it could form the government with outside support, especially from Congress MLAs. However, the alliance still remains below the majority mark in the 234-member Assembly.
The political uncertainty has now pushed every supporting party into quick internal discussions.
CPI called for emergency meeting after Vijay’s letter
Amid the uncertainty, Communist Party of India leader Veerapandiyan confirmed that Vijay had formally written to the party seeking support for what he described as a “progressive government.”
Veerapandiyan said the CPI would hold an emergency state executive committee meeting on Friday to decide its position. The party is expected to discuss whether extending support to TVK would be politically practical at this stage.
He also addressed speculation around a recent meeting with MK Stalin. According to him, the interaction was only a friendly courtesy meeting because Stalin remains the head of their alliance in the state.
The statement suggested that opposition parties are still carefully weighing their next steps instead of making immediate commitments.
VCK urges governor to let Vijay prove majority on Assembly floor
The political pressure on Raj Bhavan increased further after Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol Thirumavalavan publicly appealed to the Governor to invite Vijay to form the government.
Speaking to regional media, Thirumavalavan argued that TVK should get to take office first and then prove its strength through a floor test in the Assembly.
He also alleged that leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party were interfering in Tamil Nadu politics and creating confusion during the government formation process.
According to him, TVK had emerged as the single largest party in the state and therefore deserved the first opportunity to form the government under constitutional practice.
Thirumavalavan further said his party had received a letter from Vijay seeking support and would soon decide its official stand.
Vijay questions Governor’s stand
In a sharp reaction, Vijay questioned why the Governor was not moving ahead despite TVK seeking support from other parties.
He argued that the Governor should not insist on seeing a list of supporting MLAs before inviting a leader for the swearing-in ceremony. Vijay maintained that constitutional practice allows the single largest party to form the government first and then prove majority support inside the Assembly.
During his remarks, Vijay also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of interfering in Tamil Nadu politics.
TVK changes Tamil Nadu’s political math
The Assembly election results dramatically changed the political landscape of Tamil Nadu. For nearly three decades, state politics had largely revolved around the rivalry between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
But TVK disrupted that long-standing balance by emerging as the single largest party.
The numbers, however, remain complicated.
Vijay is likely to vacate one of the two seats he won in the Assembly election. Once that happens, TVK’s effective strength in the Assembly will reduce to 107 seats.
With Congress support, the alliance reaches 112 members. That leaves the bloc five seats short of the majority mark required to control the 234-member House. - The Statesman/ANN
