'Vijay' for Thalapathy

Actor-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C. Joseph Vijay on Friday formally staked claim to form the government in Tamil Nadu after securing the backing of several opposition parties, taking the strength of his alliance beyond the majority mark in the 234-member Assembly.

Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi at Raj Bhavan in Chennai and submitted letters of support from allied parties and independent supporters.

The development comes amid days of intense political uncertainty following the fractured mandate delivered in the April 23 Assembly elections, the results of which were declared on May 4.

According to sources, the Governor is expected to formally invite Vijay to form the government later on Friday or early Saturday. The swearing-in ceremony is likely to take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday in Chennai.

TVK emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly elections by winning 108 seats. However, the party initially fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats required to form the government in the 234-member House.

The Congress was the first party to extend support to Vijay, with its five newly-elected MLAs backing the TVK chief.

On Friday evening, the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) also formally announced support for the TVK-led bid to form the government.

Each of the four parties has two MLAs in the new Assembly, taking the effective strength of the Vijay camp to 120 legislators -- comfortably above the simple majority mark.

Following his meeting with the Governor, Vijay visited the CPI state headquarters in Chennai and personally thanked Left party leaders for extending support to his efforts to form the government.

Leaders of the supporting parties indicated that their backing was aimed at ensuring political stability in the state and preventing prolonged uncertainty.

Meanwhile, Vijay will have to resign from one of the two Assembly constituencies from which he was elected, in accordance with Election Commission regulations that prohibit an individual from holding two seats simultaneously.

The dramatic political developments mark a historic moment in Tamil Nadu politics, with Vijay now poised to become the state’s next Chief Minister less than a year after formally launching his party into electoral politics.