TVK's Vijay Seeks To Meet TN Governor As He Scrambles For Majority

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

Vijay Seeks Governor's Appointment

Amid ongoing political tensions over government formation in Tamil Nadu, Tamilaga Vetrri Kazhagam chief Vijay has sought an appointment to meet Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar at 4:30 PM on Friday. Meanwhile, TVK leader CTR Nirmal Kumar has reached the Communist Party of India headquarters, Balan Illam, as the CPI is holding an executive meeting to discuss whether they will withdraw their support to Vijay.

The Scramble for a Majority

Vijay's TVK has been working to garner support from other parties to form a government in Tamil Nadu since the verdict delivered a fractured mandate. The TVK has emerged as the single largest party but fell short of the 118-seat majority required to form a government. To bridge this gap, Vijay has been actively reaching out to Congress, who already extended support, bringing the TVK tally closer to the mark. Congress has offered conditional support to the TVK's Vijay to form a government in Tamil Nadu and severed its ties with the DMK. With the support of five Congress MLAs, the alliance stands at 112, still six short of the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member assembly.

Eyes on Potential Allies

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) also held an executive meeting to discuss whether they would support Vijay. They both have two seats each. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president Thol Thirumavalavan has also called for a "high-level committee" meeting of the party to take a call on whether to support TVK. The VCK meeting, via Zoom call, is scheduled to be held at 5 pm today. CPI, CPI (M) and VCK have two MLAs each. Their support will take the TVK alliance tally to the majority mark.

Governor's Role Under Scrutiny

As Congress is now firm in TVK's corner, Arlekar's not callling Vijay to form the government has drawn fiery remarks and allegations from its leaders. Many have alleged that Arlekar is acting on the BJP's whims to stall the due procedure and undermine the Constitution. Several parties have also urged the Governor to call Vijay to form the government and conduct a floor test in the Legislative Assembly to prove its majority.

On the other hand, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday invited TVK's Vijay to Lok Bhavan, and explained that the requisite majority support in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, essential for forming the Government, has not been established. According to sources, the Governor sought clarity on the "magic number" required for government formation and asked Vijay to furnish details of legislators backing TVK's claim to form the government in Tamil Nadu.

With Vijay set to vacate one of the two seats he won in the Assembly polls, the effective strength of TVK in the Assembly will become 117, and along with Congress's 5 seats, the alliance has 112 members, just five short of a majority. The lines have been drawn, and the stage is set for a weekend of high-voltage political manoeuvring. As Vijay attempts to stitch together the required numbers, the state holds its breath for a new government.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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