TVK shakes up Tamil Nadu politics
In its electoral debut, actor-politician Vijay’s party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won 108 seats, dramatically disrupting the decades-old bipolar dominance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
However, TVK fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats and is still searching for the numbers needed to form the government.
TVK claims support of 113 MLAs
Reports said TVK currently has the backing of 113 MLAs, including five legislators from DMK ally Congress.
According to NDTV, Governor R. V. Arlekar asked Vijay how he planned to form the government and which parties would support his administration.
TVK has reportedly told the Governor that it expects support from six more legislators, including four from Left parties.
AIADMK may rethink NDA ties
As TVK continues its push for majority support, unconfirmed reports suggest the AIADMK is considering exiting the BJP-led NDA and joining hands with its longtime rival, the DMK.
However, even such a realignment may still fall short of the numbers required to stake claim to government formation without support from smaller parties.
The developments come just two days after the AIADMK publicly ruled out any alliance with TVK.
Traditional Dravidian blocs suffer setback
The ruling DMK was reduced to 59 seats in the election, while the AIADMK-BJP alliance secured 47 seats, marking a major setback for both traditional Dravidian power centres.
Congress extends conditional support
The Congress has offered conditional support to TVK, saying it would support the single largest party provided “communal forces” are kept out of the alliance.