Vijay to be the Tamil Nadu commander-in-chief as TVK gets numbers in order

TAmil Nadu regulator Rajendra Arlekar on sat invited C chief joseph Vijay to take form the say government after he handed over letters of support from a clutch of parties that helped his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) swing past the majority mark in the assembly, bringing down the curtain on a protracted government formation saga and ushering in a new political era for the province.The actor-turned-politician will take oath at 10am on Sunday and become the first chief minister to not hail from either of the two Dravidian majors since Tamil Nadu was formed in 1967.Vijay now has the support of 120 MLAs in the 234-member assembly, edging past the 118-seat majority mark after the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), with two lawmakers each, lent the TVK their “unconditional support” on Saturday.“Thiru C Joseph Vijay, called on the Governor of Tamil Nadu today at Lok Bhavan and submitted a letter informing about his election as the leader of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam Legislature party,” Lok Bhavan said in a statement.According to the letter submitted to the Governor, the TVK also has the support of the Congress (five MLAs), the Communist Party of India (two) and Communist Party of India–Marxist (two).“The Governor has directed the Chief Minister-designate to seek the vote of confidence of the Assembly on or before May 13, 2026. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Nehru Stadium, Chennai, on May 10, 2026, at 10am,” added the statement.To be sure, the CPI, CPI(M), IUML and VCK have decided to support the TVK, but will not be part of the alliance.Saturday’s announcement wrapped up days of uncertainty, with no outfit emerging with a clear majority.The 51-year-old’s meeting with Arlekar on Saturday was his fourth in as many days. The Tamil Nadu governor refused to invite Vijay to form the government after the previous three meetings, unconvinced that he had the numbers.Vijay’s fledgling outfit won 108 seats in the assembly elections. However, Vijay himself contested from two seats and won both. He must now resign from one seat within 14 days of the election result being notified, effectively bringing down his party’s strength to 107.He spent the last four days trying to eke support from a range of opposition parties in the state.The Congress snapped its years-long alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and lent Vijay’s party support on Tuesday.Vijay’s rookie outfit shattered a 50-year-old Dravidian duopoly to emerge as the single-largest party in assembly elections on Monday. But since then, the state has been embroiled in government formation drama that has even triggered speculation that the two Dravidian rivals – the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam that won 59 seats and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam that won 47 seats – might come together.Vijay and senior party functionaries – veteran politician KA Sengottaiyan, general secretary Aadhav Arjuna – arrived at Lok Bhavan around 6.30pm on Saturday and held discussions for more than an hour.The meeting was attended by alliance party leaders, including Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K Selvaperunthagai, the CPI’s Tamil Nadu secretary M Veerapandian, the CPI(M)’s state secretary K Shanmugham and the two IUML legislators — Syed Farooq Basha and AM Shahjahan.According to people aware of the matter, the TVK’s Sengottaiyan, CTR Nirmal Kumar, N Anand, KG Arunraj, Aadhav Arjuna and Rajmohan are likely to get cabinet berths. A Congress legislator is also likely to be part of the cabinet, said a Tamil Nadu Congress Committee official.Earlier, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan said his party supported the TVK to prevent President’s rule in Tamil Nadu. The party is a part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in the state.“Our ties with the DMK will not get affected due to our stand, but it will help Vijay form government and also prevent President’s rule in the state,” Thirumavalavan said at a press conference.The IUML, also an SPA constituent, had earlier this week said it would not support the TVK. However, the party’s national president Khader Mohideen on Saturday said, “The feeling and expectations of the common people of Tamil Nadu is that a government must be formed through democratic means.”Outgoing chief minister MK Stalin welcomed the TVK forming the government, saying the support of parties avoided a “critical crisis” in the state.“As far as I am concerned, whatever decision the allied parties took, I intended to respect their decision, work in integration and ensure a stable government is formed. My thought was that we should not pave the way for another election,” Stalin said in a statement on social media.The suspense kept the TVK in limbo for days, even amid the swirl of constantly shifting alliances.Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK) chief TTV Dhinakaran on Saturday accused TVK of “engaging in horse-trading” by using a “forged” letter of support to stake a claim for government formation, a charge Vijay’s party denied. The AMMK has one MLA in the house.But by Saturday evening, Vijay had done just enough to follow through on what marked the most impressive debut in the southern state since Tamil talisman MG Ramachandran in 1977.