Tamil Nadu results: TVK+ 5 short, Vijay’s oath-taking delayed as he struggles to show government majority

CHENNAI: The mood in the TVK camp changed from jubilation to anxiety by Wednesday evening as C Joseph Vijay’s party found itself staring at a five-seat gap in forming govt in an assembly of 234 even after Congress offered support.

TVK sources said the governor insisted on letters of support from an adequate number of MLAs before deciding on the swearing-in date. The ceremony, planned for Thursday, was put on hold. In the forenoon, Congress leaders called on Vijay at the TVK headquarters in Panaiyur with letters of support from its five MLAs.





Vijay drove to Lok Bhavan and expressed his intent to governor R V Arlekar to form govt. When there was no response from Lok Bhavan till late evening, TVK’s Aadhav Arjuna met Arlekar again. Meanwhile, AIADMK moved its MLAs to a resort in Puducherry.

Unconfirmed reports suggested DMK and AIADMK were in conversation on the situation. Congress came in for flak from DMK for “betraying voters and abandoning a long-standing alliance.” At the end of the day, TVK, which has been talking to parties in both rival alliances, was still trying to find the numbers needed.

While IUML (2 MLAs) said it would not support TVK, other DMK allies VCK, CPI, CPM (2 MLAs each), and DMDK (1) are yet to commit. AIADMK, which had earlier opened channels of communication with TVK, also ruled out support. “Under no circumstance has AIADMK offered support to TVK,” party deputy general secretary K P Munusamy told reporters after general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami chaired a meeting of the 47 new MLAs.