Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay is moving to secure a coalition with Left and Dalit-focused parties to form the next government in Tamil Nadu. The push follows a Thursday evening meeting with Governor Rajendra Arlekar. Arlekar told the actor-turned-politician that his party currently lacks the 118-seat majority required for a formal invitation to form the cabinet. This scramble marks the biggest political shift in the state since 1967. It potentially ends decades of exclusive rule by the DMK and AIADMK duopoly.
Vijay initiated formal outreach to leaders from the CPM, CPI, and VCK to join his administration. These three parties hold a combined six seats in the assembly. They are scheduled to hold emergency committee meetings today, May 8, to decide whether to support the TVK. This outreach comes after the Congress party chose to split from the DMK alliance to back a Vijay-led government earlier this week. Congress holds five seats in the new assembly. Their defection reduced Vijay’s deficit to just five seats.
TVK won 108 seats in its electoral debut. This made it the single-largest party but left it 10 seats short of the majority mark in the 234-member house. Adding the five Congress seats brings the tally to 113. If the Left and VCK join the coalition, the total will reach 119. This would clear the 118-seat threshold needed to govern. The DMK finished second in the polls with 59 seats. The AIADMK secured 47. This massive regional shakeup mirrors recent political shifts in Kerala where traditional power structures were recently dismantled.
If the talks succeed today, Vijay will become the first person from outside the two major Dravidian parties to lead the state since 1967. The DMK leadership has labeled the Congress move as a betrayal of their secular alliance. Supporters of the TVK remain gathered outside Vijay’s Chennai residence awaiting the results of the committee meetings. The Governor is expected to review the new letters of support on Friday evening if the parties reach an agreement.