Tamil Nadu’s fractured mandate has triggered hectic backroom negotiations, protests outside Raj Bhavan – or State Hall – and fresh accusations of political interference as actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) pushes to gather the numbers needed to form the next government.
With Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar yet to invite Vijay to take the oath despite TVK emerging as the single-largest party, yesterday saw a flurry of meetings involving the Left parties, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Congress and AIADMK, all of whom now hold the keys in a sharply divided assembly.
TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member assembly, dramatically disrupting Tamil Nadu’s decades-old DMK-AIADMK dominance.
Congress has already extended support with its five members of the legislative assembly (MLAs), taking the tally to 112, excluding Vijay. The coalition, however, still remains short of the halfway mark of 118.
Separate executive committee meetings of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India were held in Chennai yesterday to discuss Vijay’s appeal for support. The standoff also spilt onto the streets, with TVK supporters staging a protest in Chennai after the governor declined to immediately invite Vijay to form the government.
“If Vijay is not given the opportunity to become Chief Minister, further protests will be held,” a TVK worker said before police removed demonstrators from the spot.
Congress workers too staged protests in Chennai and Madurai against the governor and the BJP-led Union government, accusing them of delaying the constitutional process.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore alleged that the BJP was attempting to prevent Vijay from becoming chief minister.
“At any cost, the BJP, particularly Amit Shah, wants to stop Mr Vijay from being the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” he said. He also claimed Tamil Nadu politics was witnessing “unexpected things”.
The governor had on Thursday met Vijay at Raj Bhavan and reportedly sought clarity on the “magic number” required to prove majority support before allowing government formation. — The Statesman/ANN
