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Following the 2026 Assembly Election results, Tamil Nadu is gripped by a constitutional stalemate that pits a cinematic superstar's political debut against the traditional gatekeepers of power.
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by Vijay, emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats, shattering the decades-old DMK-AIADMK duopoly. However, even with the Congress's five seats, the nascent alliance sits at 113, exactly five seats shy of the 118-seat magic number in the 234-member house Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday invited TVK's Vijay to Lok Bhavan, and explained that the requisite majority support in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, essential for forming the Government, has not been established. According to sources, the Governor sought clarity on the "magic number" required for government formation and asked Vijay to furnish details of legislators backing TVK's claim to form the government in Tamil Nadu. As Congress is now firm in TVK's corner, Arlekar's not callling Vijay to form the government has drawn fiery remarks and allegations from its leaders. Many have alleged that Arlekar is acting on the BJP's whims to stall the due procedure and undermine the Constitution. With Vijay set to vacate one of the two seats he won in the Assembly polls, the effective strength of TVK in the Assembly will become 117, and along with Congress's 5 seats, the alliance has 112 members, just five short of a majority. Several parties have also urged the Governor to call Vijay to form the government and conduct a floor test in the Legislative Assembly to prove its majority. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai called for massive protest demonstrations across district headquarters in Tamil Nadu on Friday, at 11 am, to condemn the BJP-led Union Government and the Governor for allegedly acting against the Constitution by attempting to prevent TVK, which emerged as the single largest party in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, from forming the government. State Congress in-charge Girish Chodankar alleged that the Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was "bowing" to the BJP rather than to the "Constitution". He claimed that the Governor had a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) background and was acting under the directives from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his constitutional obligations to the people of the state. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Thursday criticised Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar over the delay in inviting Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government, alleging that the Governor was "buying time" to enable political manoeuvring in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "I was hoping that by now the governor would have invited TVK to form the government... When governors become agents of the BJP, they do the bidding of the BJP," he added. With the clock ticking, smaller parties, including CPI(M), CPI and VCK, are yet to decide on the support to TVK, making the next few days significant for the state's political future. TVK Joint General Secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar said that the VCK and CPI will both hold internal meetings over extending support to TVK and will provide the answer afterwards. CPI leader Veerapandiyan has confirmed that Vijay had written to the Communist Party of India seeking support to form a "progressive government", adding that an emergency state executive committee meeting has been called for Friday to discuss the matter and take a final decision on extending support. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol Thirumavalavan has also called on Governor Rajendra Arlekar to invite TMK chief Vijay to form the government and prove his majority on the floor of the house. CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby also questioned the delay in the Governor's call to Vijay, and announced that the decision on support would be taken within 24 hours after an opinion is formed in a meeting with DMK. Regardless of how government formation plays out, the coming days will be decisive. Whether it is a minority government, a broader coalition of smaller parties, or some combination of both, the era of TVK is here, but the shape of its government remains to be seen. Another tense pair in politics were longtime allies, Congress and DMK. Their relationship has soured following Congress's decision to support TVK, as DMK has termed them "backstabbers". DMK Legislature Party passed a resolution during its meeting, which condemned the Congress's decision and pulled no punches, characterising it as a "sudden political shift" and a "betrayal." DMK leaders pointed out that Congress secured one Rajya Sabha seat and 28 Assembly constituencies (in the previous term/arrangement) due to the DMK's "patience and magnanimity." DMK MP Kalanidhi Veeraswamy also claimed that the TVK is "desperate" and claimed that the Congress switched sides as "they have been promised a ministerial berth or some other position." The lines have been drawn, and the stage is set for a weekend of high-voltage political manoeuvring. As Vijay attempts to stitch together the required numbers, the state holds its breath for a new government. (ANI)
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