C. Joseph Vijay is set to become the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam secured enough support to cross the majority mark in the Assembly. Lok Bhavan confirmed that Vijay will take oath as chief minister at 3:15 PM on May 10.
The announcement came shortly after Vijay met Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Saturday evening and formally staked claim to form the government.
VCK and IUML support pushes TVK past majority
TVK’s numbers improved significantly after the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Indian Union Muslim League extended “unconditional support” to the Vijay-led alliance.
Their backing increased the alliance tally to 120 seats in the 234-member Assembly, comfortably above the majority mark of 118.
TVK General Secretary Aadhav Arjuna celebrated the development and declared “Victory” while displaying the VCK’s support letter backing Vijay’s claim to form the government.
Congress earlier extended support
Earlier, the Indian National Congress had also agreed to support TVK. However, the party reportedly placed a condition that “communal forces” should remain outside the coalition arrangement.
With multiple parties now backing TVK, the political uncertainty surrounding government formation in Tamil Nadu appears to have ended.
Alliance crosses majority mark
The current strength of the Vijay-led alliance stands at 120 seats. The seat distribution is as follows:
- TVK – 107
- Congress – 5
- CPI – 2
- CPI(M) – 2
- VCK – 2
- IUML – 2
The combined support has taken the alliance beyond the required majority figure of 118.
Hung verdict triggered political uncertainty
The Tamil Nadu Assembly election produced a hung verdict earlier this week. TVK emerged as the single-largest party after winning 108 seats in the 234-member House. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam secured 59 seats, while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won 47 seats.
Other parties recorded smaller numbers. PMK won four seats, IUML secured two seats, while both CPI and CPI(M) won two seats each. The BJP, DMDK and AMMK managed one seat each.
The fractured mandate had triggered intense negotiations and speculation over possible alliances before Vijay finally secured enough support to form the next government in Tamil Nadu.