Left parties and VCK held crucial meetings in Chennai as Vijay’s TVK attempted to cross the majority mark, while protests against Governor Arlekar intensified.
Protests, political meetings and religious rituals unfolded across Tamil Nadu as parties negotiated support for Vijay’s TVK following the fractured Assembly verdict. | ANI
Tamil Nadu’s fractured mandate has triggered hectic backroom negotiations, protests outside Raj Bhavan, and fresh accusations of political interference, as actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) pushes to gather the numbers needed to form the next government.
With the Governor yet to invite Vijay to take the oath despite TVK emerging as the single-largest party, Friday saw a flurry of meetings involving the Left parties, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Congress and AIADMK, all of whom now hold the key in a sharply divided Assembly.
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TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, dramatically disrupting Tamil Nadu’s decades-old DMK-AIADMK dominance. Congress has already extended support with its five MLAs, taking the tally to 112. The coalition, however, still remains short of the halfway mark of 118.
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Separate executive committee meetings of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India were held in Chennai on Friday to discuss Vijay’s appeal for support.
Both CPI and CPI(M) have two MLAs each, while the VCK also holds two seats. If all three parties back TVK, Vijay’s alliance could move past the majority mark.
Earlier, TVK Joint General Secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar met CPI leaders in Chennai to seek support for government formation.
CPI(M) leader P Shanmugam confirmed that the party had received a letter from Vijay.
“TVK Chief sent a letter to our party. Our State Committee meeting will be held tomorrow morning; we will take our decision in it,” Shanmugam said.
Backing TVK’s claim, he added, “According to the Constitution, it is TVK that should be allowed to form the government. We have never seen a situation like this in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, and now we have a hung Assembly. It is the Governor who should invite Vijay to form the government because he is leading.”
The CPI too questioned Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s stand, saying it was “inappropriate” to insist that TVK prove its majority before swearing in.
VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan said the party’s high-level committee would take a final call after discussions later in the evening.
“We are going to discuss the current political scenario and will decide what our stance in this crisis is,” he told ANI.
He confirmed that TVK’s request for support and VCK’s future within the DMK alliance would both be discussed internally.
“Governor should not behave like this. We criticised the approach of the Governor,” Thirumavalavan said.
On Thursday, he had alleged that pressure from the BJP-led Centre began after Congress extended support to Vijay.
The standoff also spilled onto the streets, with TVK supporters staging a protest outside Lok Bhavan in Chennai after the Governor declined to immediately invite Vijay to form the government.
“If Vijay is not given the opportunity to become Chief Minister, further protests will be held in the future,” a TVK worker said before police removed demonstrators from the spot.
Congress workers too staged protests in Chennai and Madurai against the Governor and the BJP-led Union government, accusing them of delaying the constitutional process.
Even as TVK scrambled for numbers, AIADMK hinted at its own political manoeuvring.
Rajya Sabha MP M Thambidurai said “many discussions” were underway and expressed confidence that AIADMK would eventually return to power.
“There is a public sentiment that AIADMK has to come to power. That may happen in the due course of time with the grace of God,” he said.
AIADMK has 47 seats, making it a potentially decisive player in the current arithmetic.
Its leaders were seen arriving at party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami’s residence in Chennai through the day.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore alleged that the BJP was attempting to prevent Vijay from becoming Chief Minister.
“At any cost, the BJP, particularly Mr Amit Shah, wants to stop Mr Vijay from being the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” he told ANI.
He also claimed Tamil Nadu politics was witnessing “unexpected things”, comparing the situation to “the Nitish Kumar version of Tamil Nadu”.
The Governor had on Thursday met Vijay at Lok Bhavan and reportedly sought clarity on the “magic number” required to prove majority support before allowing government formation.
The Governor’s stand has since triggered sharp reactions from TVK leaders and allies, who have accused him of stalling the process despite TVK being the single-largest party in the Assembly.
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