Vijay’s TVK is planning to move court, sources said on Thursday, after Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar asked the party to prove it has the numbers
to form the government. Sources said Vijay is consulting senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi on the legal options available. Governor Arlekar has reportedly insisted on documentary proof of majority support before inviting the party to form the government. Vijay had sought a week's time before proving he had the numbers, and had hoped to swiftly take oath as Chief Minister, but the Governor's stand complicated the matter further. Though the party officially won 108 seats, its effective tally stands at 107 because Vijay will have to vacate one of the two constituencies from which he emerged victorious. In the resulting 233-member Assembly, the majority mark comes down to 117, which makes TVK 10 seats short of the halfway mark. The party has officially announced its alliance with the Congress, which got five seats. The party is also keen on securing support from the VCK and the two Left parties, who continue to be part of the DMK-led alliance, and have so far not given any positive signals. On Wednesday, Vijay met with the Governor hours after the Congress declared its support and following a meeting between the TVK chief and Congress leaders. On the other hand, reports are emerging of a possible alliance brewing between arch rivals, the DMK, which won 59 seats and the AIADMK, which won 47 seats, in a bid to keep the TVK out of power. In a separate development, the AIADMK has taken its newly-elected MLAs to neighbouring Puducherry, the party has said. AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan, speaking to PTI on Wednesday, said that the party MLAs have been lodged in Puducherry. However, he did not elaborate on the number of MLAs taken to Puducherry. Also, he did not specify the reasons for taking them to the union territory. (With inputs from PTI)
