When Will Vijay Take Oath As CM? Tamil Nadu Govt Formation Row Deepens Hours After TVK Chief’s Meeting With Governor

The suspense over the formation of the Tamil Nadu government continues as the Governor’s office has still not invited Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay to form the government. The delay is because the Governor’s office is yet to receive a support letter from one of the parties backing TVK.

TVK chief C Joseph Vijay met Governor RV Arlekar at Lok Bhavan on Friday evening after reaching the majority mark of 118+ seats.

TVK Struggles To Reach Majority Mark In Tamil Nadu Assembly

It was his third meeting with the Governor in three days, after his party, TVK, won 108 seats in the assembly election, 10 seats short of the majority.

The Communist Party of India has lended “unconditional support” to TVK to form the government.

The Congress party, who won 5 seats, has decided to support TVK. This has upset its INDIA alliance partner DMK, which has been defeated by Vijay’s party.

TVK And Congress Workers Protest Over Governor’s Decision

On Friday, supporters of both TVK and Congress held protests in Tamil Nadu, objecting to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar not inviting C Joseph Vijay to form the government.

TVK, led by actor-politician Vijay, won over 100 seats in the election but is about 10 seats short of the 118 needed for a majority. Even with Congress’s support, which adds 5 more seats, the total reaches only 113, still not enough to form the government.

On Thursday, the Governor’s office said that in Vijay’s second meeting with the Governor in two days, he was told that having a clear majority is necessary to form the government. However, Vijay’s supporters say this decision is unfair and are demanding that he be allowed to prove his majority in the Assembly.

Meanwhile, there are also rumours of a possible alliance between AIADMK and DMK, but nothing has been officially confirmed yet.

Congress, CPI And VCK Back Vijay’s Claim To Form Government

TVK won 108 seats in its first Assembly election, which is a strong performance for a new party. Out of these, C Joseph Vijay won two seats—Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East. As per Election Commission rules, he will have to give up one seat, so the total effective strength becomes 107.

With support from the Congress party, the total reaches 113 seats, but this is still short of the 118 seats needed for a majority in the 243-member Assembly.

The Tamil Nadu Governor has said that TVK has not yet shown enough support to form the government. The Governor’s office also said that during the meeting, Vijay was told that a clear majority is required, which has not been proved so far. This was the second time in two days that Vijay returned without getting permission to form the government.

So far, only Congress has openly supported TVK. There were reports that AIADMK, which won 47 seats, might support Vijay’s party, but there is no official confirmation.

Meanwhile, Congress, VCK, and CPI have said that Vijay should be invited first to form the government and then prove his majority in the Assembly. Congress leader and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also said it is “unfair” to make Vijay wait.

Also Read: Vijay Is Tamil Nadu’s New CM, Gets Governor’s Nod To Form Govt After Crucial Meeting