Governor Asks Vijay to Prove Majority Before TVK Can Form Tamil Nadu Government

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday informed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay that the party had not yet established the majority support required to form the government in the State.

The clarification came after Vijay met the Governor at Lok Bhavan in Chennai for the second consecutive day amid ongoing efforts by TVK to gather support from other parties and independent legislators following the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election results.

In an official statement, Lok Bhavan said the Governor explained to Vijay that the “requisite majority support in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, essential for forming the government, has not been established.”

Sources cited by ANI and multiple media reports said Arlekar asked the TVK chief to submit documentary proof showing the support of at least 118 MLAs in the newly elected 234-member Assembly before any swearing-in process could move forward.

Thursday’s meeting lasted around 30 to 45 minutes. Unlike Wednesday’s interaction, where Vijay was accompanied only by six newly elected MLAs, this time several legal and political advisers were also present during discussions at the Raj Bhavan.

TVK emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly elections with 108 seats, significantly altering Tamil Nadu’s political landscape traditionally dominated by the DMK and AIADMK. However, the party remains short of the majority mark despite securing support from the Congress, which won five seats.

The numbers game has intensified further because Vijay is expected to vacate one of the two constituencies from which he won, reducing the party’s effective tally by one seat once the resignation is formalised.

Amid the uncertainty, smaller parties such as the CPI, CPI(M), VCK and DMDK have emerged as crucial players in determining whether TVK can stake a successful claim to power. CPI state secretary Veerapandiyan said the party would hold an emergency executive committee meeting to decide on Vijay’s request for support.

The CPI(M) also criticised the Governor’s stance and argued that democratic convention requires the single-largest party to be invited first and allowed to prove its majority on the Assembly floor.

Meanwhile, outgoing Chief Minister M. K. Stalin said the DMK would “watch without disturbing for six months” if TVK succeeds in forming the government, while also questioning whether the party could fulfil several of its election promises.

Reports also suggest AIADMK legislators have been shifted to resorts in neighbouring Puducherry amid intense political negotiations and fears of possible defections or cross-voting during government formation talks.

Adding to the political drama, sources indicated that some leaders within TVK have advised the party to explore legal options, including approaching the Supreme Court or Madras High Court if the Governor continues to withhold an invitation to form the government.

Outside Lok Bhavan, TVK supporters staged demonstrations demanding that Vijay be given an opportunity to prove his majority on the Assembly floor, while party cadres also reportedly wrote to President Droupadi Murmu seeking intervention.

The political deadlock has placed Governor Arlekar at the center of Tamil Nadu’s government formation process, with all eyes now on whether TVK can secure the additional numbers required to form a stable administration in the coming days.