TVK 's number nightmare ends: Vijay's party crosses majority mark as VCK, IUML extend support
PTC News Desk: The final obstacle for actor-turned-politician Vijay to form the government and become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was cleared on Saturday after the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) extended unconditional support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Both the VCK and IUML, which won two seats each, had kept the political situation uncertain after Vijay was unable to show support from the required 118 MLAs needed to form the government during his three meetings with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar over the past three days.
With support from the VCK and IUML, Vijay now has the backing of 120 MLAs. This brings an end to four days of intense political negotiations after the two-year-old TVK surprised major Dravidian parties like the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) by emerging as the single largest party with 108 seats.
Here's the math: 107 (TVK) 5 (Congress) 4 (Left) 2 (VCK) 2 (IUML) = 120
However, the party’s effective strength stands at 107 because Vijay will have to vacate one of the two seats he won. The Indian National Congress, which secured five seats, was among the first parties to support the TVK after ending its long-standing alliance with the DMK. On Friday, Left parties with four MLAs also extended support.
Till Friday night, uncertainty remained because the VCK’s letter of support had reportedly not reached the Governor. VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan was reportedly unhappy that Vijay had sought support through WhatsApp messages instead of personally contacting the party leadership.
The IUML had also initially maintained that it remained aligned with the DMK. However, discussions moved forward on Saturday morning after TVK leaders met both the VCK chief and IUML leaders.
- With inputs from agencies
