Congress, AIADMK & more: Vijay has no dearth of allies, who will he pick to form TN government?

Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has stunned the country with its blockbuster debut in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Now, the actor-turned-politician has a bigger task at hand — forming the government in the southern state.

The TVK bagged 108 of the 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, emerging as the single largest party. However, it is short of the majority mark of 118 to form a government on its own. Vijay’s party is now attempting to stitch a coalition to rule the state.

The Congress, which won five seats, has announced its support for the TVK. But it will still be five seats short of the magic number.

How is Vijay’s party planning to bridge the gap? We take a look.

Congress extends support to TVK

The Congress has decided to support the TVK to build a coalition government in Tamil Nadu.

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"Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping out from this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India," a statement by Girish Chodankar, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Tamil Nadu, said on Wednesday (May 6).

On Tuesday evening, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal told reporters that the Tamil Nadu unit of the party will take a final call on Vijay’s request for support.

“The president of TVK, Thiru Vijay, has requested the Indian National Congress for support to form a government in Tamil Nadu… INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu was for a secular government committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit. INC is determined not to have the BJP and its proxies run the government of Tamil Nadu in any manner,” Venugopal said.

His comments came after senior Congress leaders met at party chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence for a review meeting. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and AICC in charge of Tamil Nadu, Chodankar, were also present during the talks.

“Vijay has said he draws inspiration from Kamaraj. The Congress president directed the Pradesh Congress Committee to take final decision keeping in view of sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu,” Venugopal added.

TVK chief Vijay had visited his party office and met newly elected MLAs on Tuesday morning, setting the ball rolling for an alliance, reported Indian Express.

In a letter to Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Vijay has reportedly sought an invitation to form the government and said that the party will prove its majority within two weeks.

Last night, the Tamil Nadu unit of Congress convened an online meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) and green-lit a coalition with the TVK. As per The Hindu, the Congress has decided to extend support to Vijay’s party on the condition that it would not tie up with the lone BJP MLA-designate or other allies of the saffron party.

Reports say that the TVK could allot two Cabinet berths to the Congress.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has sharply criticised the Grand Old Party, its ally, over support for Vijay’s party.

DMK spokesperson A Saravanan decried the Congress' move as "backstabbing," claiming that the party would have failed to win its five seats without DMK's support.

Sources told CNN-News18 that Tamil Nadu Congress’ in-charge Chodankar will announce the alliance between TVK and his party after arriving in Tamil Nadu today.

Other smaller parties may support TVK

If the TVK forms an alliance with the Congress, it will still be short of five seats to reach a majority.

Left parties — the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] — could also support the TVK.

TVK has reportedly invited the CPI to extend its support.

Speaking to NDTV, insiders from Vijay's party said that they are banking on support from other key DMK allies — CPI, CPI(M), and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), all of which secured two seats each.

The CPI(M) has mentioned it would extend a “creative and critical appreciation” for the next government.

Is AIADMK in shambles over TVK?

The AIADMK is reportedly in shambles over whether to support the TVK.

As per an Indian Express report, senior AIADMK sources confirmed that the BJP high command in New Delhi is not in favour of the TVK forming a government in Tamil Nadu in a coalition with the Congress, particularly after the Grand Old Party is set to return to power in neighbouring Kerala.

Last night, senior AIADMK leader Leema Rose Martin publicly announced that the TVK and the AIADMK were holding talks. However, the Dravidian party's support for Vijay's party could lead to a split.

AIADMK general secretary and former Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami, popularly known as EPS, is unlikely to back an alliance with Vijay's party.

AIADMK insiders told the newspaper that of the party’s 47 MLA-designates, at least 10 will stay with EPS. However, many others, including some loyalists, believe that the party should forge an alliance with the TVK to form a government.

As per Hindustan Times (HT), the chances of Vijay allying with the AIADMK seem to be low as the latter fought the election with the BJP. The actor-turned-politician has previously emphasised his party’s Dravidian credentials and opposition to the BJP.

When will Vijay take oath?

As the TVK seeks allies, Vijay also has the option to go solo and form a minority government. People familiar with the matter in Chennai told HT that both the AIADMK and the DMK will avoid voting out such a government, as it could trigger fresh elections and a bigger Vijay wave.

Vijay is likely to take oath as soon as Thursday (May 7). But first, he is expected to meet the Governor today at 3:30 pm to stake a claim to form the government.

In his first post-victory statement on X, the actor-politician had thanked supporters for the TVK's victory.

"... Many spoke against us after we started the party. We overcame it all. We stood alone, trusting the people. Insults disguised as neutrality and criticism came our way. But those for whom we came into politics to pay our debt of gratitude - our own people, our Tamil Nadu, have always supported us like a mother and are continuing to do so," Vijay said in a long post in Tamil on X.

Vijay said the TVK's stunning performance was a victory of democracy.

"... I offer my lifelong gratitude to the people of Tamil Nadu, who have achieved a political victory that was never expected to happen. My heartfelt gratitude goes to each and every one of you, all levels of administrators, and virtual warriors," he said.

With inputs from agencies