Vijay’s arithmetic falters, majority mark still out of reach; swearing-in called off
VCK chief Thirumavalavan, who had publicly said his party would follow the Left parties’ decision on supporting TVK, yet to submit a formal letter of support to Governor Rajendra Arlekar
TVK chief Vijay meets Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar to stake claim to form the government, at Raj Bhavan in Chennai, Friday. (Photo: ANI) What seemed like a done deal for Vijay’s TVK hit a speed bump on Friday evening as Tamil Nadu’s already volatile government-formation drama took another turn.
For much of the day, TVK leaders and supporters believed the party had effectively crossed the 118-seat majority mark, with support from the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), and the expected backing of the VCK and IUML. Firecrackers burst outside Vijay’s Panayur residence, and party workers spoke openly of a swearing-in ceremony on Saturday morning.
Then the arithmetic began wobbling again.
VCK chief Thirumavalavan, who had publicly said his party would follow the Left parties’ decision on supporting TVK, had still not submitted a formal letter of support to Governor Rajendra Arlekar late into Friday night, leaving Vijay’s camp technically short of a majority.
Sources in the Governor’s office said Vijay had only 116 MLAs on record in the meeting on Friday evening.
The delay triggered fresh speculation across political circles, where rumours were already moving faster than official statements. Thirumavalavan reportedly held a series of meetings through the night and into Friday with TVK, AIADMK’s Edappadi K Palaniswami or EPS and DMK leaders.
Even after telling reporters that the VCK would stand with the Left parties’ position, Thirumavalavan had not announced a final decision by late evening. Instead, he arrived at outgoing Chief Minister M K Stalin’s residence, where discussions continued past 10 pm.
Soon, political rumours acquired the scale and texture of a Tamil Nadu political thriller. One claim from VCK circles suggested that EPS and Stalin were exploring an arrangement under which Thirumavalavan himself could emerge as a consensus Chief Ministerial face.
Another small but significant development further complicated the numbers. TTV Dhinakaran, whose AMMK has one MLA and remains an NDA ally, visited the Governor after 9 pm, complaining of horse trading by Vijay’s TVK and claiming that his single MLA is missing.
He claimed, “My MLA is not picking up my phone, or he has been taken in custody, and his phone has been snatched. My MLA Kamaraj is missing. I demanded an immediate investigation by the Governor.” Soon, the Governor issued orders to the state DGP to trace the missing MLA and called off plans to hold the swearing-in on Saturday.
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