Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar Ennum Naan

Actor-politician Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Friday crossed the crucial majority mark required to form the government in Tamil Nadu, bringing an end to days of political uncertainty following the Assembly election results declared on May 4.

According to sources, the TVK secured the support of smaller parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), helping the party comfortably cross the 118-seat majority mark needed to form a stable government in the 243-member Assembly.

The development comes after days of intense political negotiations and speculation over government formation. Though TVK emerged as the single-largest party by winning 108 seats in its debut Assembly election, it initially fell short of the majority number. The support of the Congress, which won five seats, had taken the tally to 113, still five short of the halfway mark.

With the latest backing from Left parties and VCK, the numbers now appear firmly in TVK’s favour. CPI leaders reportedly extended “unconditional support” to Vijay for government formation. TVK joint general secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar was also present at the CPI headquarters in Chennai during the discussions.

Vijay is now expected to meet Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar later in the evening to formally stake claim to form the government. The Governor had earlier declined to invite TVK to form the government, stating that the party had not yet demonstrated majority support in the Assembly.

The Governor’s stance had triggered widespread protests by TVK supporters and Congress workers across Tamil Nadu. Demonstrators accused the Raj Bhavan of delaying the democratic process and demanded that Vijay be invited to prove his majority on the floor of the House instead of being denied the opportunity outright.

On Thursday, the Governor’s office issued a statement after Vijay’s second meeting in two days, reiterating that “requisite majority support” was mandatory before inviting any party to form the government. However, opposition leaders and alliance partners criticised the move, arguing that constitutional conventions allow the single-largest party to prove its strength in the Assembly.

Senior Congress leader and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar termed the delay “unfair” and backed Vijay’s claim to form the government. Leaders from CPI, VCK and Congress also publicly urged the Governor to invite TVK without further delay.

Meanwhile, speculation had been rife about a possible understanding between the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) amid the evolving political situation, though neither side officially confirmed such discussions.

A crucial meeting of TVK’s newly elected MLAs was held on Thursday, where legislators reportedly sought clarity on the timeline for government formation. According to sources quoted by PTI, party general secretary ‘Bussy’ N Anand assured MLAs that Vijay was making every possible effort to secure the numbers and requested them to remain patient.

TVK’s performance in the elections has already been described as historic, with Vijay becoming one of the rare actors in Tamil Nadu politics to emerge as a dominant force in his very first electoral outing. The party’s rise has dramatically altered the political landscape of the state, ending the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK-led fronts.