Chennai: The clouds of uncertainty that have engulfed Tamil Nadu politics for the past several days have finally cleared, and the state is set to receive a new leadership. Thalapathy Vijay’s party, the Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), which emerged as the largest party after the elections, is now on the verge of forming a government with the support of other parties. The unconditional support of the DMK’s former allies, the VCK and the IUML, has intensified the buzz in the corridors of power, paving the way for Vijay to become Chief Minister.
Amid the government formation effort, Vijay met Governor Vishwanath Arlekar for the fourth time in the past four days. During this meeting, he submitted a formal letter of support from 121 MLAs, after which the Governor expressed satisfaction with his claim. Convinced of the numbers, the Governor officially appointed Thalapathy Vijay as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. This green signal from Raj Bhavan has removed a long-standing political stability gap in the state.
Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium will witness a historic moment today, where Vijay will take the oath of office as Chief Minister at 10 a.m. Extensive preparations have been made to make the ceremony grand, and political circles are buzzing that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi may also attend the swearing-in. Although the swearing-in ceremony is taking place today, the Governor, in accordance with constitutional procedures, has given the new government until May 13th to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.
In the Tamil Nadu election results, the TVK emerged as the largest party with 108 seats, but fell short of the magic number for a majority. The process of garnering the additional support needed to form a government began with five Congress MLAs, after which the BJP and CPI(M) also contributed two MLAs each to Vijay’s victory. At the last minute, the VCK announced its support to avert the possibility of President’s rule in the state and respect the people’s decision, and the IUML also extended its support. This alliance of all these regional and national parties has propelled the TVK past the 118 mark and into power.
