Thalapathy Vijay Stakes Claim To Form Government, Meets Tamil Nadu Governor; Yet To Achieve Majority

New Delhi: Thalapathy Vijay, Chief of the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar today, Wednesday, and staked his claim to form the government. Vijay's party, the TVK, emerged as the single largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The TVK secured 108 seats, and Vijay arrived at the Raj Bhavan to meet with the Governor.

Does TVK Need 10 More MLAs for a Majority?

While the TVK has won 108 seats, any party requires 118 seats to form a government. The TVK currently needs 10 additional MLAs to secure a legislative majority. According to IANS, the TVK may seek support from smaller parties—such as the PMK, Leftist parties, and the VCK—in order to form the government. The Congress party has already signaled its willingness to extend support to the TVK. 

However, the DMK's alliance partners—the MDMK, VCK, and DMDK—have indicated that they intend to maintain their distance from the TVK and are not inclined to offer their support. Speaking in New Delhi, Congress General Secretary (Organization) K.C. Venugopal stated that the party leadership has instructed its state unit to take a final decision while keeping the sentiments of the electoral mandate in mind.

Has TVK Emerged as the Single Largest Party in Tamil Nadu?

TVK Chief Vijay bid farewell to the world of acting in December 2025 to dedicate himself entirely to politics. The result of this commitment was evident in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, where Vijay's TVK emerged as the party winning the highest number of seats. Vijay himself secured victories in both constituencies he contested—Tiruchirappalli East and Perambur—thereby proving that his charisma is not limited solely to the realm of cinema. Following his meeting with the Governor, Vijay is expected to take the oath as Chief Minister on Thursday, May 7, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

Was Vijay Elected as Leader of the Legislative Party?

Following his stunning victory in the elections, Vijay arrived at the party headquarters on Tuesday and held a meeting with the newly elected MLAs. According to sources, during the meeting, Vijay deliberated on the formation of the cabinet and the conduct of the legislators within the Legislative Assembly. 

A party source revealed that the legislators unanimously elected Vijay as the leader of the TVK legislative party. Following this, Vijay departed for his residence under tight police security. When asked how the party intended to secure a majority, TVK leader Nanjil Sampath stated that the party chief would resolve the matter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, congratulated Vijay on his electoral victory, for which he extended his thanks to both of them.

What is political situation in Tamil Nadu?

According to sources, Vijay has not yet submitted the letter of support from 118 MLAs. He has verbally stated that he possesses the requisite numbers to prove a majority. Reports indicate that the TVK handed over a letter bearing the signatures of 107+5—totaling 112—MLAs to the Governor. However, the Governor responded, "Please return with 118 signatures (the majority)." The TVK has requested some time to fulfill this requirement.

The Congress party, a long-standing ally of the DMK, has now severed ties with the latter and announced its support for Vijay's party, the TVK. Girish Chodankar, the Congress party's in-charge for Tamil Nadu, stated that this decision was taken to respect the public mandate.

However, while extending its support to the TVK, the Congress has laid down a condition: that communal forces lacking faith in the Constitution must be kept out of the alliance. Meanwhile, the DMK has termed this decision by the Congress as an act of "stabbing in the back." The alliance between the two parties had endured, in various phases, since 1971. It is worth noting that the state election results, declared on May 4, took everyone by surprise.

Making a spectacular debut in its very first election, the TVK ousted the incumbent DMK from power. Contesting elections for the first time, Vijay's party—the TVK—emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats. A total of 118 seats are required to form the government in the state.

In this election, M.K. Stalin's DMK secured 59 seats, while the AIADMK registered victories in 47 constituencies. The Congress party secured 5 seats. Additionally, other parties won a limited number of seats. In the 2021 elections, the DMK had won 133 seats, and M.K. Stalin had become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Vijay won from both the Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East constituencies, and his party garnered a vote share of approximately 35 percent.

Will Thalapathy Vijay take oath on May 7?

It is noteworthy that in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, the TVK requires 118 MLAs to secure a majority. In the assembly elections, Vijay's party won 108 seats. Since Vijay contested and won from two constituencies, he will have to vacate one seat. Consequently, the TVK's total tally stands at 107 seats. Based on this figure, they require an additional 11 MLAs. The Congress party holds only five seats, which brings the TVK's total count to 111. To bridge the shortfall of seven MLAs, Vijay is relying on other smaller parties. This is precisely where the impasse lies.

According to a PTI report, apart from the Congress, the TVK had sought support from the DMK's ally—the VCK—as well as from Leftist parties, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and others. The Congress has agreed to extend its support. Conversely, the Left parties and the IUML have categorically refused to offer their support. Meanwhile, the VCK has stated that it has not yet reached a decision on the matter. According to sources at the Lok Bhavan, although Vijay has staked a claim to form the government with the support of the Congress, the Governor remains unconvinced. The Governor is currently seeking legal counsel regarding this issue. Consequently, the Governor has directed Vijay to demonstrate that he commands an absolute majority.

It is worth noting that in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections—in addition to the 108 seats won by Vijay's party, the TVK—the DMK secured 59 seats, the AIADMK 47, the Congress 5, the PMK 4, and the IUML 2 seats. Furthermore, the BJP, the AMMK, and the DMDK each won one seat.

According to sources, among these parties—with the exception of the DMK, the AIADMK, and the BJP—Vijay's party had sought support from all the others. Of these, only the Congress party has openly declared its support for Vijay. Girish Chodankar, the Congress party's in-charge for Tamil Nadu, stated that the party firmly believes that a secular government—rather than the BJP—should come to power in Tamil Nadu. Following the party's formal announcement of support for the TVK, Congress workers also celebrated by bursting firecrackers outside the Tamil Nadu headquarters.