TVK chief Vijay unlikely to take oath as Tamil Nadu CM on Thursday: 'Does not have official numbers as of now'

Actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay is unlikely to take oath as Tamil Nadu chief minister on 7 May as he tries to firm up support to cross the majority mark in the state assembly.

Citing sources, news agency ANI said that TVK "does not have official figures as of now," and the Governor is apparently not convinced about the numbers so far.

TVK chief Vijay meets TN Governor

Earlier today, the actor-turned-politician, who was earlier expected to take oath on Thursday, met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Lok Bhavan as part of government formation efforts

Speaking to ANI, Arlekar said that he will meet TVK chief Vijay today, adding that he has received a formal letter from the debutant party staking claim to form the government and has scheduled a meeting with Vijay later in the day.

"I have received a letter from TVK. They will meet me in the evening. They have stated that they have the majority and they should be called for the formation of the government. A new government will come now," he said.

TVK seeks Congress support

TVK, which emerged as the single-largest party in Tamil Nadu in a spectacular Assembly polls debut, has secured the support of five Congress MLAs so far.

The Congress had previously fought the election as part of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance, but has decided to extend support to TVK after the party chief sought support on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Congress President K Selvaperunthagai and the party's state in-charge Girish Chodankar met Vijay at the TVK Headquarters in Chennai, confirming their support to TVK in forming the next government in the state.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Selvaperunthagai said, "We have given our letter of support (to TVK). This is the party high command's decision. I don't know when the oath ceremony is. He (TVK chief Vijay) will meet the Governor."

With the Congress extending support with five MLAs and TVK winning 108 seats, the alliance tally stands at 113. However, it is still short of five seats to cross the majority mark of 118 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

In a bid to seek more support, TVK has also apparently approached AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS). However, Congress leader KC Venugopal said the party has made it clear that TVK should not seek support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In a statement on X, Venugopal said, “The INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government that is committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit. The INC is determined not to have the BJP and its proxies run the government of Tamil Nadu in any manner.”

DMK slams Congress for extending support to TVK

DMK leader Saravanan Annadurai criticised the Congress for shifting its support, calling the move "myopic" and accusing the party of betraying its INDIA alliance partners. "I think this is a very short-sighted, myopic stand taken by the Congress, which they will regret. The 2029 big elections are coming, where we are very confident that we will be able to remove the BJP. But now, because of this decision by the Congress, it has made them a very unstable partner. The perception that is out in the entire country is that Congress cannot be trusted," he said.

TVK wins maiden election

The developments come days after TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member assembly and is 10 short of the majority mark. With Vijay stepping down from one of the two seats he contested and won in the Assembly elections, the effective strength of the party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly will become 107.

Stunning the 'Dravidian' parties in the state of Tamil Nadu in the results announced on Monday, Vijay and the TVK, brought an end to the DMK-AIADMK three-decade-old 'duopoly.'