Suspense Over Vijay's Swearing-In As Governor Not Convinced On TVK's Majority: Sources

Chennai: In another twist in the ongoing political drama in Tamil Nadu, the "Thalapathy" Vijay-led TVK party again fell short of the majority mark. Sources told Times Now that the TVK could garner the backing of only 116 MLAs, including five from the Congress. In the evening, Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar for the third time in 48 hours and staked a claim to form the government in the state and could take the oath as the next Tamil Nadu CM tomorrow (May 9) at 11 am. Earlier, apart from the Congress and the Left parties, reports also surfaced that the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) also extended support to the TVK. When Vijay met the Governor in the evening, he reportedly claimed the support of 120 MLAs, including two

each from the VCK and the IUML. However, as per the sources, Vijay submitted only hard copies of the support of 116 MLAs. The IUML, which earlier agreed to back the TVK, said that tit was not part of the alliance, the sources said.On Friday afternoon, the CPI and the CPI(M) clarified that they would support the TVK but would not be part of the cabinet. How Are Numbers Stacked Up:The TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats. However, its strength will reduce to 107 after Vijay, who contested two seats, has to vacate one of them. After the support of five Congress MLAs and four legislatures from the Left parties, the TVK's numbers increased to 116. Now, the VCK reportedly decided to go with the TVK. However, it has not yet formally made any announcement in this regard. Tamil Nadu Government Formation 2026 Live: VCK's Demands:As per reports, the VCK has also agreed to support the TVK, but put forward several demands before Vijay's party. Sources told Times Now VCK is demanding the post of Deputy Chief Minister and one additional cabinet berth. The party is also pressing for the MLA seat that will fall vacant once Vijay vacates one of his two constituencies — Perambur or Tiruchirappalli East. Additionally, since VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan currently holds the Chidambaram Lok Sabha seat; the party wants a guaranteed MP seat once that vacancy arises.

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Beyond electoral arithmetic, VCK has put legislative demands on the table — a dedicated law against caste- and religion-based discrimination and a specific legal framework criminalising honour killings, both long-standing demands of Tamil Nadu's Dalit rights movement.In the recently concluded assembly polls, the TVK bagged 108 seats. The ruling DMK managed to bag only 59 seats and the main opposition party, AIADMK, secured 47 seats. The Congress, which contested polls in alliance with the DMK, won five seats.