From near majority to missing numbers: TVK’s government formation bid paused after VCK silence

Friday began on an upbeat note for Tamil actor Vijay’s political party, TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam). Party leaders and supporters believed they were close to forming the government in Tamil Nadu. For most of the day, they said they had support crossing the required 118-seat majority mark.

According to their calculations, the backing of Congress, CPI, CPI(M), and expected support from VCK and IUML was enough to take them past the majority line. The mood in TVK circles was confident.

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Outside Vijay’s Panayur residence, supporters burst firecrackers. Party workers even spoke openly about a swearing-in ceremony planned for Saturday morning.

The excitement suggested that a new government formation was almost final. But the situation was still dependent on formal confirmations from key allies.

Also Read: Is this the end of the Dravidian duopoly? Vijay redraws Tamil Nadu’s political map

VCK delay pushes numbers below majority mark

By Friday evening, the situation began to change. The support that TVK was counting on from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), led by Thirumavalavan, had not been formally submitted to Governor Rajendra Arlekar.

Although Thirumavalavan had earlier said his party would follow the decision of Left parties in supporting TVK, he had not sent the official letter of support. This delay created uncertainty in the final count.

Sources from the Governor’s office said that Vijay’s TVK could only show support of 116 MLAs during the meeting held on Friday evening. This was below the required majority mark.

Night of meetings, political talks, and conflicting signals

As uncertainty grew, Thirumavalavan continued a series of meetings through Friday night. Discussions reportedly included leaders from TVK, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), and DMK leaders.

Even though he had earlier told reporters that VCK would stand with the Left parties’ position, no final decision was announced by late evening. The delay led to confusion across political circles, where speculation began to spread quickly.

Later in the night, Thirumavalavan went to the residence of outgoing Chief Minister MK Stalin. Talks continued there past 10 pm.

At the same time, rumours began circulating in political circles. One such claim suggested that EPS and Stalin were exploring a possible arrangement in which Thirumavalavan himself could be considered as a consensus Chief Ministerial candidate. However, no official confirmation of this idea was made.