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Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is learnt to person asked Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam president C. Joseph Vijay, who connected Wednesday evening (May 6, 2026) staked assertion to signifier the adjacent government, to nutrient letters demonstrating enactment of 118 MLAs, the bulk people successful the 234-member Assembly.
Earlier, the Congress, which won 5 seats arsenic portion of the DMK alliance, snapped its implicit 20-year ties with the Dravidian large and extended enactment to the TVK. It is learnt the enactment could beryllium offered 2 Cabinet berths if the TVK forms a conjugation government.
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The TVK had won 108 seats successful the caller Assembly election. Mr. Vijay has to resign 1 of his 2 seats portion 1 would beryllium elected the Speaker, who could ballot lone during a tie. Hence, with the Congress’s backing, the coalition’s numbers is lone 111 and the TVK needs the backing of 7 legislators.
Mr. Vijay, on with the party’s elder leaders met the Governor, who arrived successful the day from Kerala, wherever excessively helium holds the gubernatorial post. At the Lok Bhavan, sources said Mr. Arlekar asked Mr. Vijay to show the numbers earlier helium could beryllium invited to signifier the government. Legally, the Governor is entitled to fulfill himself astir specified impervious since the cumulative fig of legislators belonging to the existent DMK beforehand (68) and AIADMK beforehand (53) would transcend those of the legislators backing Mr. Vijay.
AIADMK elder person K.P. Munusamy, pursuing a gathering of legislators and functionaries chaired by enactment wide caput Edappadi K Palaniswami, categorically told journalists that reports claiming the AIADMK would enactment the TVK “were not true”.
The DMK’s allies, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the CPI, and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, which won 2 seats each, said the TVK had reached retired to them separately seeking support. But leaders of these parties said they would determine lone aft interior enactment meetings to beryllium held successful owed course. Another DMK ally, the Indian Union Muslim League, with 2 legislator-elects, had earlier announced it would not widen enactment to the TVK.
Earlier, AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar, successful a property merchandise said the confederation with the TVK was “founded connected communal respect, due share, and shared work betwixt the 2 parties”. This determination was not lone for the enactment of the authorities “but besides for aboriginal elections to section bodies, the Lok Sabha, and the Rajya Sabha”.
The “support shall beryllium conditional upon the TVK keeping retired from this confederation immoderate communal forces that bash not judge successful the Constitution of India”.
Mr. Chodankar said the TVK and the Congress would strive to bring backmost Kamaraj’s glory days successful Tamil Nadu, with a beardown committedness to Periyar’s societal justness ideals and Ambedkar’s law ideals successful the years and decades to come.
“Mr. Vijay and Rahul Gandhi jointly pledge to respect this historical verdict of the radical of Tamil Nadu for a secular and progressive government, and to fulfil the dreams and promises of the radical — particularly the younker of Tamil Nadu,” helium said.
Meanwhile, the Governor dissolved the 16th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly with effect from May 5, 2026.
In the evening, immoderate apical authorities officials met Mr. Vijay astatine his residence successful Foreshore Estate and extended their greetings to him.
(With inputs from Udhav Naig)
