Superstar Vijay’s numbers nightmare appears to have ended. The actor who struggled to hit the halfway mark after delivering a big electoral superhit earlier this week is learnt to have finally secured the majority – paving the way for his oath ceremony.
Sources told NDTV that the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) has extended its unconditional support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the first coalition government in Tamil Nadu.
The VCK, however, has not said it officially yet. Live Updates
The Coalition Math
The VCK’s support adds two crucial seats to the TVK’s tally. The Vijay-led coalition already had the support of 116 MLA-elects, including five from the Congress and four from the Left parties. Adding two of the VCK seats, its strength goes up to 118, which is the exact number of number of MLAs required to form government in the state.
While the Left parties had extended unconditional support, the Congress’ backing came with conditions. The Left opted out of Vijay’s cabinet and sources said that Congress expected two ministries.
Mixed Signals, Lack Of Clarity
Vijay made multiple rounds of the Lok Bhavan but failed to convince Governor RV Arlekar that he had the majority. Sources in the governor said that he wasn’t invited to form government since he couldn’t prove his majority. The governor, sources said, insisted that he must provide the letters of support of 118 MLAs.
At the centre of this to-and-fro was a confusion: was the VCK on board? The VCK gave mixed signals. There was lack of clarity. This left Vijay’s biggest political moment in limbo.
TVK – A New Force
The TVK nonetheless remains the big story. Launched just two years ago, it emerged the largest single party with 108 seats in the recent polls. The big mandate ended the Dravidian giants DMK and AIADMK’s 62-year-old stranglehold on the government. With Vijay winning two seats himself, the TVK currently has 107 MLAs.
The DMK was reduced to 59 seats while the AIADMK managed to win 47. The Congress won 5 and PMK 4. The VCK, IUML, CPI and CPM won two seat each, while the BJP, DMDK and AMMK won one each.