Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 8 : Actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay is poised to take charge as the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after the party secured crucial support from key political allies and completed the required majority mark in the 234-member Assembly, sources and party leaders indicated on Friday.
The development comes after Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan, where he formally staked claim to form the government after consolidating support from multiple parties following the fractured mandate in the recently concluded Assembly elections.
TVK, which emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, had fallen short of the majority mark of 118 required to form the government independently. However, with the support of Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the party has successfully crossed the majority threshold.
The CPI, CPI(M) and VCK, which won 2 seats each, extended their support to TVK, taking the tally of the party to the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member assembly, along with the 5 seats from Congress.
The CPI (M), in an official letter, conveyed its "support" to TVK for the purpose of forming a government in the state, while CPI extended "conditional support" to the Vijay-led party in favour of "stable, secular and democratic governance for the people of Tamil Nadu."
Despite emerging as the single-largest in the Assembly elections, TVK recieved a fractured mandate of 108, falling short of 10 seats to clear the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member assembly.
However, Congress, with its 5 seats, extended partnership to TVK, ending a years-old alliance with DMK, which took the TVK's tally to 112.
With Congress in TVK's corner, Governor Arlekar's not callling Vijay to form the government has drawn fiery remarks and allegations from its leaders. Many have alleged that Arlekar is acting on the BJP's whims to stall the due procedure and undermine the Constitution.
Several parties have also urged the Governor to call Vijay to form the government and conduct a floor test in the Legislative Assembly to prove its majority.
On the other hand, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday invited TVK's Vijay to Lok Bhavan, and explained that the requisite majority support in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, essential for forming the Government, has not been established.
According to sources, the Governor sought clarity on the "magic number" required for government formation and asked Vijay to furnish details of legislators backing TVK's claim to form the government in Tamil Nadu.
But now, with the support of other parties, the TVK touched the majority mark in the assembly.
TVK president and actor Vijay contested in two constituencies and won both. He is expected to resign in Trichy and continue as MLA from Chennai Perambur assembly constituency.
With Vijay also to step down from one of the two seats he won in the assembly polls, the effective strength of TVK in the assembly will become 117.
The results of the Tamil Nadu elections, conducted in a single phase on April 23, witnessed the historic emergence of a party led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, bringing to an end the DMK-AIADMK three- decade-old 'duopoly'.
However, since Independence, in every Assembly election, either the Congress, DMK, or AIADMK has secured a clear majority and formed the government independently. For the first time in Tamil Nadu's history, no party reached the majority mark of 118 seats.
Nevertheless, while some crushed over Thalapathy, others saw an image of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in him; overall, Vijay's political debut has been nothing short of spectacular in the state politics.
The time shall now unveil what the tenure of Vijay as Chief Minister means for Tamil Nadu.