On May 4, Tamil Nadu witnessed a political earthquake. In a state where cinema and politics have long been intertwined, a two-year-old party founded by actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay stunned observers by redrawing the state’s political map.
But while Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single largest party, its path to power remains tangled in coalition arithmetic and constitutional uncertainty.
TVK secured 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, breaking the 59-year dominance of Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian heavyweights — the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
The result was particularly symbolic as incumbent chief minister M K Stalin lost his Kolathur seat, marking one of the biggest upsets in the state’s recent political history.
Yet TVK fell short of the majority mark of 118.
Complicating matters further, Vijay won from two constituencies — Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East — and must vacate one, reducing TVK’s effective strength to 107.
Congress breaks first
The first breakthrough came when the Indian National Congress, which won five seats as part of the DMK-led alliance, extended support to TVK on May 5.
The backing came with a condition: TVK must not align with the BJP.
The move enraged the DMK, which labelled it a betrayal and signalled cracks within the broader opposition alliance structure.
Even with Congress support, however, Vijay’s tally rose only to 112 — still six short.
Left parties tilt the balance
The decisive shift appeared to come Friday when the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) formally announced support for TVK.
The Indian Union Muslim League soon followed.
Leaders said the decision was driven by a desire to block BJP influence in Tamil Nadu.
The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi was also expected to support the coalition, potentially taking the alliance beyond the required threshold.
The revised arithmetic now stands at:
- TVK: 107
- Congress: 5
- CPI: 2
- CPI(M): 2
- IUML: 2
Total: 118
With one seat vacant after Vijay relinquishes a constituency, the effective House strength becomes 233, lowering the majority mark to 117.
Governor’s delay raises questions
Despite the claimed numbers, Governor Rajendra Arlekar had not formally invited Vijay to form the government as of late Friday.
Vijay met the Governor three times in as many days, but no invitation followed.
Opposition leaders have criticised the delay, arguing constitutional convention requires the Governor to invite the single largest party to prove its majority on the Assembly floor rather than demanding proof beforehand.
With the Assembly’s term ending May 10, pressure is mounting for clarity.
A dramatic political irony
The situation carries deep political irony.
Vijay built TVK as an alternative to both Dravidian establishment politics and the BJP. He fought the election alone and won.
Yet to govern, he now depends on support from parties that were until recently allies of the DMK — the very establishment he sought to unseat.
Whether this marks a permanent political realignment or merely an extraordinary post-election arrangement remains to be seen.
For now, Vijay has rewritten Tamil Nadu’s political script — but the final act, taking office as chief minister, remains unwritten.
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