Vijay’s march to Fort St George may have finally crossed the halfway mark, but it was only after five days of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations, political brinksmanship and a long wait for letters of support that Tamilaga Vitri Kazhagam (TVK) fell just short of the majority line.Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) was eventually endorsed as two MLAs, taking the number of TVK-led alliances to 119. In reality, however, TVK’s vote tally was 107 as Vijay was contesting from two constituencies and one constituency needed to be vacated as per the rules, so the actual vote tally was 118 votes.Soon after VCK backed TVK, two Indian Muslim Leagues (IUML) also backed Vijay’s party.With this, TVK (107) now has the support of Congress (5), CPI (2), CPM (2), VCK (2), IUML (2), taking its support rating to 120, surpassing the majority of 118.
TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna met VCK CEO Thirumavalavan in Chennai on Saturday.
For actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay, the days following the results of the May 4 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections have been more a matter of survival arithmetic than celebration.TVK becomes the single largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member parliament, putting Vijay within striking distance of the chief minister but 10 seats short of the 118-seat majority. What followed was a high-voltage political tug-of-war involving the DMK, AIADMK, Left parties, Congress, VCK and even a late-night visit to Raj Bhavan.
TVK reaps fruitful results
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol Thirumavalavan is at the center of the uncertainty.While Congress was quick to back TVK in the form of five MLAs, VCK has adopted a cautious wait-and-see approach, repeatedly delaying a formal announcement despite strong speculation that it would eventually support Vijay. The hesitation left TVK in suspense for nearly five days and forced Vijay’s camp to keep lines of communication open with multiple politicians at the same time.
Parallel Game of Thrones
Uncertainty deepens as parallel power plays unfold across Chennai.Soon after the results were announced, senior AIADMK leaders SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam reportedly explored the possibility of providing engineering support to Vijay in an attempt to bring in enough AIADMK MLAs to cross the two-thirds threshold stipulated in the anti-defection clause. The proposal reportedly includes calls for the creation of seven ministerial posts and one deputy chief minister post in a potential TVK-led government.At the same time, another political axis was taking shape.
A tortuous carnival
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) has reportedly established channels with the DMK leadership to explore the possibility of blocking Vijay from taking office altogether. The proposal, which allegedly involves the DMK-backed AIADMK government, has triggered intense secret discussions within the Dravidian ecosystem.As speculation intensified, Palaniswami moved quickly to contain any rebellion within the party. AIADMK MLAs were moved to resorts in Pondicherry and cut off from the outside world, a scene reminiscent of the earlier days of resort politics in Tamil Nadu. The party has also publicly ruled out providing support to TVK “under any circumstances”.Meanwhile, Vijay’s camp remains locked in ongoing negotiations.According to reports, TVK leaders Bussy Anand, Aadhav Arjuna and strategist John Arokiasamy held multiple rounds of discussions with the Velumani-Shanmugam organization between May 4 and 6. However, the negotiations never achieved a breakthrough, especially since Congress had submitted a letter of support to TVK.However, the real suspense revolves around the DMK alliance partners.Left supports VijayWhile the CPI and CPM gradually moved in favor of Vijay, the VCK refused to commit immediately. While the Left parties on Friday publicly backed TVK to prevent what the CPM said was a “backdoor doorway” for the BJP through governorship rule, Thirumavalavan still refused to formally support it. This hesitation made Vijay look short.
big gap
As of Friday evening, TVK had the support of 117 lawmakers, just one short of a majority. There are rumors that the Indian Muslim League will bridge the gap to pave the way for Saturday’s swearing-in ceremony. But IUML initially denied supporting TVK, adding new uncertainty to an already volatile situation for late-night scripts.Later, AMMK president TTV Dhinakaran met Governor RV Arlekar and demanded that Palaniswami be invited to form the government. He also claimed that his only MLA had been cut off from the outside world and accused TVK of bargaining and later claimed that fake letters of support had triggered panic.Throughout, VCK maintained strategic ambiguity.Even after the CPI and CPM swung to Vijay’s side, Thirumavalavan met outgoing Chief Minister Stalin at his official residence on Friday evening and reportedly discussed the issue of “amicable separation” from the DMK-led alliance. However, there was no immediate formal commitment from the VCK camp. However, it was not until Saturday that the deadlock was finally broken.Thirumavalavan announced his “unconditional support” to TVK, taking Vijay’s tally to the crucial 118. Soon after, the Tamil Nadu branch of the Indian Marxist-Leninist League also offered its support to the party, effectively ending uncertainty over whether Vijay could actually raise enough numbers to form a government.For Vijay, the incident was an early lesson in alliance-era politics. The actor, who rocked Tamil Nadu politics with a massive electoral debut, has discovered that becoming the single largest party is only half the battle.
