TVK at 108: Tamil Nadu Congress weighs options as Vijay eyes allies to form government

COngress leader and Tamil Nadu company in-charge Girish Chodankar on tues said he has informed the heights require, including chairwoman Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, about the evolving political situation in Tamil Nadu after actor-politician C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single largest party in the 2026 assembly elections.TVK defeated both the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), winning 108 seats — just short of the 118 required to form the government.Follow latest updates on Tamil Nadu government formationAccording to political experts, TVK requires 10 more seats and would need support either from the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) or the AIADMK-led NDA to stake claim.Talking to reporters, Chodankar said, “I have already submitted a report to (Congress President Mallikarjun) Kharge, leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal. I think in a while they will take a call on what to do in Tamil Nadu.”On TVK’s performance, he observed that “by and large people of Tamil Nadu have voted for change”.“Youngsters and women have moved towards TVK. That is why TVK has won in large numbers,” he said.Also Read: Vijay's TVK no. 1 party in Tamil Nadu, but short of majority. What happens next - scenarios explainedAccording to political expert Vijayanand, the governor invites the single largest party to form the government and prove its majority.“In this case, it is Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which has emerged the largest with 108 seats. It…needs to garner support from smaller parties to form a government,” he said in a social media post on Tuesday.He added that after inviting the largest party, the governor would typically give about seven to 15 days to prove its majority on the floor of the House through a vote of confidence.“If TVK forms the government, Vijay would become the chief minister. However, if TVK fails to prove its majority, the governor might invite the next largest combination,” he said.He further noted that if no party is able to form a stable government, the governor may recommend President’s Rule under Article 356 of the Constitution.“The legislative assembly could be kept in suspended animation and fresh elections may be called later,” he added.Meanwhile, senior politician and TVK campaign secretary Nanjil P Sampath, responding to queries on the shortfall of 11 seats, said the remaining support would come “automatically.”However, he remained non-committal on how that would happen.Responding to a question on a possible alliance with the Congress, he said, “My personal view is that I expect that will happen.”On government formation, Sampath said he would call on Governor Rajendra Arlekar “today or tomorrow”.On the party’s performance, he said, “What TVK has obtained in terms of winning, no one else has achieved in the history of Indian politics.”He further said, “Vijay at public meetings used to say that the election is a fight between TVK and DMK. Through the results, he has proved that statement.”“The 34.92 per cent vote share achieved by the TVK is the highest peak of a victory of any leader obtained in Indian history. This will be spoken about forever,” he added.