After days of political uncertainty and backroom negotiations, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay is now set to take oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10. What began as a tense post-election numbers game turned into a dramatic turnaround within four days, with the actor-turned-politician eventually securing the backing of 120 MLAs to cross the majority mark in the 234-member Assembly.
Vijay met Governor Ravindra Narayana Ravi Arlekar at Lok Bhavan in Chennai on Saturday evening along with alliance partners to formally stake claim to form the government.
TVK falls short, allies step in
The TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2026 by winning 108 seats. However, it remained 10 short of the majority figure of 118, triggering intense political discussions over possible support from smaller parties and allies.
The breakthrough came after the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) extended support to the Vijay-led party. Their backing pushed the alliance tally to 120.
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The final numbers stand as follows:
TVK: 107
Congress: 5
CPI: 2
CPI(M): 2
VCK: 2
IUML: 2
Congress reportedly agreed to support the TVK on the condition that “communal forces” would remain outside the alliance framework.
Governor meetings and political deadlock
The path to government formation was far from smooth. Vijay had met Governor Arlekar multiple times over the past few days seeking an invitation to form the government. During earlier meetings on Wednesday and Thursday, the Governor reportedly asked him to return only after demonstrating support from 118 MLAs.
On Friday evening, Vijay once again met the Governor and claimed he had the backing of exactly 118 legislators. However, sources from Raj Bhavan said he had not yet provided adequate proof of support.
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The uncertainty deepened on Saturday after Vijay’s convoy reportedly turned back midway while heading to Lok Bhavan, with reports suggesting the Governor had declined to meet him due to prior engagements. A CPI(M) leader told CNN-News18 that the appointment request was denied because of scheduling issues.
VCK explains support decision
VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan said the party decided to support the TVK to avoid constitutional instability in the state.
“We’re supporting the TVK to form the government and to prevent President’s rule. Political crisis in Tamil Nadu should not become a cause for implementing President’s rule", he said, as quoted by CNN-News18.
“Took long term vision into account, decided to extend unconditional support to TVK", he added.
In the final tally of the Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2026, the DMK won 59 seats, AIADMK secured 47, PMK won four, while BJP, DMDK and AMMK managed one seat each.
