Vijay Secures Majority, Meets Governor Fourth Time to Form Government

TVK Chief Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Saturday evening after securing the support of 120 MLAs, strengthening his bid to form the next government in the state. The meeting marked Vijay’s fourth visit to Raj Bhavan in four days amid intense political uncertainty following the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results.

The breakthrough came after the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) formally extended unconditional support to Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam alliance. With their backing, the coalition’s tally rose to 120 seats in the 234-member Assembly, crossing the majority mark required to form the government.

According to reports, Governor Arlekar cancelled his scheduled visit to Kerala shortly before Vijay’s arrival at Lok Bhavan. Sources said Vijay submitted letters of support from all 120 MLAs supporting his claim to power. Earlier this week, the governor had reportedly asked Vijay to provide proof of support from at least 118 legislators before considering his request to form the government.

Also Read: VCK Extends Support To TVK, Strengthening Vijay’s Position In Tamil Nadu Politics

The numbers for the TVK-led alliance gradually increased over the last few days. Congress first broke away from the DMK-led alliance to support Vijay, taking the tally to 112. The CPI and CPI(M) later added four more MLAs, pushing the number to 116. Saturday’s support letters from VCK and IUML finally removed the uncertainty surrounding the majority figure and brought the coalition comfortably past the required mark.

The Assembly election has marked a historic political shift in Tamil Nadu, ending decades of dominance by the DMK and AIADMK. Vijay’s TVK emerged as the single largest party but initially fell short of a clear majority. Vijay, who won from two constituencies, is expected to vacate the Trichy seat and retain Chennai Perambur. Once the vacancy takes effect, the effective strength of the Assembly will drop to 233, reducing the majority mark to 117 and giving the TVK alliance a slightly bigger cushion.

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