‘No cash for votes’: Zoho's Sridhar Vembu calls for fresh Tamil Nadu polls; advises TVK against ‘horse trading’

NEW DELHI: Amid the post-election deadlock in Tamil Nadu, Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu on Thursday called for “fresh elections” in the state with strict enforcement against “cash for votes”, while backing actor-politician Vijay and his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to form the government.Vembu’s remarks came as political uncertainty deepened after reports suggested Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was not fully convinced that the TVK had the numbers required to prove a stable majority in the 234-member Assembly.In a series of posts on X, Vembu said the current arithmetic in the Assembly did not “add up” and warned that any government stitched together through alliances and defections would remain unstable.“The numbers don't seem to add up. Whatever government is cobbled together is likely to be unstable with various pulls and pressures. Tamil Nadu deserves better,” he wrote.Calling for President’s Rule followed by fresh polls, Vembu said strict monitoring was needed to prevent alleged vote-buying practices.“President's rule with fresh elections may be the best course, this time with a very strict ‘no cash for votes’ enforcement. Then we will see who has the real mandate,” he said.The Zoho co-founder also predicted that the TVK would return with a “super majority” if elections were held again. He suggested the DMK and AIADMK could join hands if they wanted to stop Vijay’s rise, while urging the BJP to contest independently in the state.In a later post, Vembu doubled down on his support for the TVK’s claim to power, saying the party had received a “clear mandate” from the people.“I believe the TVK won a clear mandate and should form the government. Anything else is against the will of the people,” he said.Referring to reports of possible alliance negotiations and efforts to gather support from smaller parties, Vembu said fresh polls would be preferable to “endless horse trading”.“If the arithmetic in the assembly does not work, instead of endless horse trading, fresh polls are the best and I believe TVK will win a super majority,” he added.Vembu also clarified that his remarks were not made as a supporter of the TVK, but as someone concerned about Tamil Nadu and the country.“I remain a strong proud nationalist. It is the strength of our nation that a new party won so much support,” he said.The remarks come amid intense political manoeuvring in Tamil Nadu after the TVK emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats, falling short of the majority mark. With Congress extending support, the TVK-led bloc has reached 113 seats but still requires additional backing to cross the halfway mark in the Assembly.