Tamil Nadu Government Formation: Thalapathy Vijay has received support from the Congress to form a “secular” government in Tamil Nadu, but the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) still needs the support of
a few more MLAs to cross the majority mark.
After getting a green light from the high command, the Tamil Nadu unit of Congress called a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC)
late Tuesday night, which decided to support the superstar.How Are Number Stack Up?
Vijay’s TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, falling short of the halfway mark. He needs the support of 10 MLAs to form a government with a simple majority.
The Congress has won five seats, while the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has bagged four seats. The CPI, CPI-M and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) have two seats each. The outgoing ruling party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has won 59 seats while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has won 47 seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won only one seat, and so have the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK), while the VCK has won two seats.
ALSO READ | Risky Bet, Big Payoff: Vijay Pulls Off What Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijayakanth Couldn’t
Who Will Support TVK?
Besides Congress, Left parties — CPI and CPI(M)– may support the TVK, though they are still waiting for a communication from Vijay.
CPI(M) State Secretary Shanmugam sought clarification from Vijay on the alliance and how many players would be there. He said Vijay has not invited CPI yet. “Let Vijay first express his opinion, we will tell ours later,” he added.
IUML, which is an alliance with Congress in Kerala, is likely to back Vijay, taking the tally of this new bloc to 119, just one seat above the required number of 118.
The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), led by Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, may also switch from the NDA to Vijay’s side, strengthening the government. The PMK had earlier offered support to DMK without sharing power when Karunanidhi fell short of the majority mark in 2006. However, the PMK had a pre-poll alliance with the DMK.
