Tamil Nadu CM Announcement Live Updates: BJP says it will not support any party to form govt in Tamil Nadu

Congress workers staged protests across Tamil Nadu on Friday, accusing governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar of delaying the process of inviting TVK chief Vijay to form the govt.

Demonstrations were held in Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and several district headquarters, with party cadres alleging that the delay was creating room for political instability and possible attempts to lure legislators.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai accused the Lok Bhavan of functioning at the behest of the BJP-led Union govt and said the governor was failing to follow constitutional conventions by not immediately inviting the single largest party to stake claim.

AICC in-charge for TN, Girish Chodankar also criticised the governor, alleging that the delay in govt formation was politically motivated. “The governor has a mission, but he is following Amit Shah. That is his problem,” Chodankar said.

Asked about speculation that rivals DMK and AIADMK could indirectly come together to prevent the TVK-Congress combine from forming the govt, Chodankar said such a move would expose the political positions of parties before the people.

“Let them come together. Let everyone get exposed before the people of TN,” he said, adding that several secular parties would not allow the BJP or RSS to gain influence in the state through indirect political manoeuvring.

Chodankar also rejected criticism that Congress had “backstabbed” its former ally DMK by extending support to Vijay’s party after the elections. “In a democracy, people are the masters. We have respected the people’s mandate,” he said.

BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Friday said the BJP would not involve itself in any effort to form the govt in Tamil Nadu following the Assembly election results. In a statement, he said the party had contested the elections with the aim of serving the welfare and progress of the people of Tamil Nadu but had accepted the verdict delivered by the electorate. “We believe that the people have not given the BJP any opportunity or mandate to form the govt in Tamil Nadu in this election,” Nagenthran said.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Friday rejected AMMK General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran's claims over the party's MLA-elect Kamaraj's letter extending support to Vijay for a coalition government in Tamil Nadu.


Dhinakaran rushed to Lok Bhavan on Friday to deliver a letter to Governor Rajendra Arlekar, in a bid to correct the record after a "forged" letter went viral, claiming AMMK's support for Vijay's TVK. However, TVK refuted the "forged letter" claim and shared a video, saying that AMMK leader Kamaraj had backed the party to form a government.


TVK further accused Dhinakaran of spreading misinformation while concealing facts related to the matter.


The party, which won 108 seats in the polls and fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats, asserted that it did not need to "bargain or negotiate" with anyone for support.


"These are the visuals of AMMK MLA Kamaraj voluntarily and happily writing a letter expressing his support for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. He had stated that he was extending support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam with the approval of AMMK General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran," TVK stated.


It further said, "However, the information now being spread that he did not write the letter is completely false and contrary to the truth. It is essential for everyone to clearly understand this. Concealing all these facts, TTV Dhinakaran is continuing to spread false news and misinformation. The public should understand that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has no need to bargain or negotiate with anyone."


Earlier, Dhinakaran claimed the letter supporting TVK is a case of "horse trading" and forgery. He reaffirmed that AMMK's lone MLA-elect, Kamaraj S, remains loyal to the NDA and AIADMK. Dhinakaran officially backed AIADMK's Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) for the CM post, calling him the alliance's rightful candidate.


Speaking with the media after meeting the Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Lok Bhavan, Dhinakaran said that he had written the letter supporting AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami earlier in the day, and it was signed by AMMK's MLA-elect Kamaraj S.


TVK, which won 108 seats, has sought support from several smaller camps to touch the magical number of 118 seats in the 234-seat Assembly.


The CPI, CPI(M), which has two seats each, and Congress, with five seats, had already extended its support to the Vijay-led TVK to move forward with a change from the traditional Dravidian DMK-AIADMK duopoly. (

The backroom manoeuvring in Tamil Nadu began on May 4 soon after it became clear that C Joseph Vijay's TVK had won 108 seats, 10 short of a simple majority.AIADMK seniors S P Velumani and C V Shanmugam reportedly plotted together to get 33 of 47 party MLAs to their side and join hands with TVK while skirting the anti-defection law. Around the same time, on the night of May 4, AIADMK general secretary E K Palaniswami, who apparently did not have any inkling of this, reportedly began talks with Udhayanidhi Stalin on forming a govt with the support of 74 MLAs from DMK and its allies to prevent Vijay from assuming office. The proposal soon gathered momentum, with several senior DMK members mounting pressure on outgoing chief minister M K Stalin to consider a tie-up with arch rival AIADMK.

A governor has no option but to invite the single largest party or a post-poll alliance to form govt after elections and cannot inquire into how the majority support was garnered by the single largest party or the alliance - Supreme Court's constitution benches have ruled consistently, from the landmark S R Bommai judgment in 1994 to Rameshwar Prasad in 2006. The Rameshwar Prasad judgment, had castigated UPA govt for dissolving the Bihar assembly and imposing President's rule on a report from then governor Buta Singh that there was no pre-poll alliance between JDU and BJP and their coming together smacked of horse-trading in MLAs.

Quoting the Bommai judgment, the majority in the 2006 ruling had said, "The action which results in preventing a political party from staking claim to form a govt after an election on such fanciful assumptions, if allowed to stand, would be destructive of the democratic fabric." If fanciful claims of horse-trading are taken as the basis to deny the party exhibiting majority support of MLAs to stake claim to form a govt, then "it may also be a handle to reject post-poll alignments and realignments on grounds of the same being unethical, plunging the country or the state to another election," SC had said.

SC had said, "If, after polls, two or more parties come together, it may be difficult to deny their claim of majority on the stated grounds of such illegality. "These are the aspects better left to be determined by the political parties which, of course, must set healthy and ethical standards for themselves, but, in any case, the ultimate judgment has to be left to the electorate and the legislature comprising also of members of the opposition."

In a dramatic turn of events that feels more like a Kollywood thriller than a legislative transition, Tamil Nadu's political landscape is currently a whirlwind of allegations and eleventh-hour manoeuvring.
With actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay is poised to take the oath as Chief Minister on May 9. The race to secure a stable majority has triggered a firestorm of controversy involving the AMMK and the IUML.

AMMK General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran rushed to Lok Bhavan on Friday to personally deliver a letter to Governor Rajendra Arlekar. The move was a desperate bid to correct the record after a "forged" letter went viral, claiming AMMK's support for Vijay's TVK.

Dhinakaran claimed the letter supporting TVK is a case of "horse trading" and forgery. He reaffirmed that AMMK's lone MLA-elect, Kamaraj S, remains loyal to the NDA and AIADMK. Dhinakaran officially backed AIADMK's Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) for the CM post, calling him the alliance's rightful candidate.

Speaking with the media after meeting the Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Lok Bhavan, Dhinakaran said that he had written the letter supporting AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami earlier in the day, and it was signed by AMMK's MLA-elect Kamaraj S.

"I am supporting AIADMK. I have submitted this letter in support of Edappadi Palaniswami to form the Govt. Our MLA Kamaraj has also signed it and sent it through my secretary. When I saw TVK, I was shocked. because there was some other letter - maybe a forged letter, or it may be horse-trading. I called up my MLA, but I was not able to reach him...He signed this letter around 6.30 pm and sent it here. When I saw on TV that our party had supported Vijay, I was shocked. So, I got an appointment with the Governor, and I have submitted the letter to him, asking him to investigate that," he said.

Dhinakaran further expressed stern criticism towards the incident, calling it a "mockery of democracy" and reiterated his and AMMK's unwavering support for the NDA and AIADMK, calling EPS "our CM candidate."

"It is a case of horse trading or forgery. It is a mockery of democracy. How can he support the Opposition MLA? Vijay is getting support from the opposition...We are all in an NDA alliance, and contested along with AIADMK. Our CM candidate is Palaniswami," he told ANI.

Earlier in the day, in a letter addressed to the Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, AMMK General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran wrote that the party supports AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palanisami's claim to form the government. He urged the Governor to invite EPS to form the government and "be sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state."

AMMK secured only 1 seat in the assembly elections. Dhinakaran, in the letter, said that MLA-elect Kamaraj S supports the party stance.

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) also found itself swatting away rumours of a defection. Despite reports that TVK had approached them to bridge the gap to the 118-seat majority, IUML leader AM Shahjahan was blunt.

"We didn't support anybody. I didn't give any letters to anybody. This is just a rumour. We are continuing with the alliance under the leadership of DMK," he said.

Earlier, IUML President, KM Kader Mohideen, on Thursday claimed that TVK has approached them for the post-poll alliance to touch the majority mark of 118 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, but said they have not decided yet.

Meanwhile, TVK MLA Marie Wilson affirmed confidence in the formation of a TVK government in Tamil Nadu, adding that the official announcement will come by later tonight.

Expressing gratitude towards the parties who supported TVK, Wilson said, "TVK chief Vijay will be the CM, not just for 5 years but for the future also...They should have supported long back. But at the end of the day, we feel very thankful to all the alliance partners." When asked whether Vijay will take the oath as the CM tomorrow, he says, "You will get the news by late tonight...We are confident. 100%."

This comes as a historic shift that has dismantled over six decades of Dravidian duopoly, actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay is set to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu tomorrow, May 9, 2026, at 11:00 AM.

The announcement follows a week of intense political manoeuvring after the 2026 Assembly elections delivered a fractured mandate. Vijay's party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), emerged as the single largest entity with 108 seats, but remained short of the 118-seat majority mark.

The swearing-in ceremony, scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, marks the first time since 1967 that a party other than the DMK or AIADMK will lead the state.

TVK, which emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, had fallen short of the majority mark of 118 required to form the government independently. The CPI, CPI(M) and VCK, which won 2 seats each, were the key players which stepped up to back Vijay, while Congress (5 seats) had already extended its support at the crucial point, paving the way for a change after the state was led by a traditional Dravidian DMK-AIADMK duopoly.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Friday denied claims of the party filing a plea before the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Governor Rajendra Arlekar on inviting the party's chief C Joseph Vijay to form the government in Tamil Nadu, according to sources close to the party.

The clarification comes after a petitioner, Ezhilarasi K, claiming to be an active member of the party, moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Tamil Nadu Governor to invite Vijay to form the government in the State.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai on Friday said the Congress would be part of the new government led by actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), claiming that the party had been offered two ministerial berths and one Rajya Sabha seat.

Speaking to reporters after a statewide protest against governor over the delay in inviting the single-largest party, TVK, to form the government, Selvaperunthagai said discussions on the Congress party’s participation were still underway and that the final decision would be taken by the national leadership.

“They have offered two minister posts and one Rajya Sabha seat,” he said.

He added that the party high command would decide on the final allocation of portfolios and other demands.

Rejecting concerns over a possible hung assembly, the TNCC chief said the alliance was “almost close” to the majority mark of 118 seats and expressed confidence that the government would prove its strength on the floor of the House.

Rajya Sabha LoP-Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to attend swearing-in ceremony of TVK chief Vijay as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, tomorrow in Chennai: Congress sources told ANI.

After the Communist Party of India (CPI) on Friday formally extended "unconditional support" to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), its General Secretary D. Raja asserted that Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar should not create "hurdles: in government formation in the state.

Interacting with reporters about the political developments in the southern state, where the TVK emerged as the largest party but fell short of a majority, Raja said that the TVK, led by actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay, had approached his party, as well as the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the VCK.

"We have responded to the letter positively. The Tamil Nadu unit of our party has taken a position in consultation with the national leadership of our party. We have agreed to extend support to the TVK," he said.

He added that the CPI has asked the Tamil Nadu Governor to invite the leader of the single largest party to form the government.

"The Governor should not create hurdles. The governor must follow the established practices and conventions of a parliamentary democracy. He should invite and allow the single largest party to form the government in the state."

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu governor to invite TVK leader C Joseph Vijay to form the government in the State. The plea says TVK emerged as the single largest party in the 2026 Assembly elections, reports Bar and Bench.

Amid hectic talks over government formation in Tamil Nadu, Congress leader Manickam Tagore on Friday took potshots at those criticising his party for supporting the TVK, saying it has been anti-BJP from day one and the Congress has stood with that.

Tagore justified the Congress support to the TVK to "respect the people's mandate" in forming a stable government and to keep the NDA out of power in the southern state.

"RG called Stalin. RG called Mamata. On result day itself. Next morning — RG backed Mamata publicly. Said BJP stole 100 seats in Bengal. Congress supported TVK — to respect the people’s mandate, to form a stable government, to keep NDA OUT.

"And now — Godi media blames Congress. Pro-DMK media blames Congress. But DMK is talking to AIADMK. With BJP’s blessings. That’s practically NDA by another name. So tell me, should Congress have helped NDA come to power?!" Tagore said in a post on X.

"TVK has been anti-BJP from day one. Congress stood with that. No apologies," the Congress leader, who is an MP from Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu, said. He is also the Congress whip in the Lok Sabha.

The CPI on Friday announced unconditional support to actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) for government formation in Tamil Nadu.

Following internal discussions, the Left party decided to back the TVK and submitted an “unconditional letter of support” to governor RV Arlekar, party sources told PTI.

The CPI has two MLAs in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.

The development comes after the Vijay-led party reached out to DMK allies, including the CPI, CPI(M) and VCK, seeking support after emerging as the single largest party in the April 23 Assembly elections.

TVK won 108 seats, falling short of the majority mark of 118 in the assembly.

​​CPM general secretary MA Baby, while addressing mediapersons in Delhi, said the CPI, CPM and VCK, which together have six MLAs in the Tamil Nadu assembly, have been taking measures to enable TVK to demonstrate majority support and stake claim to form the government.

TVK Joint General Secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar arrives at Balan Illam, which is CPI's Headquarters in Chennai.

"I write to respectfully request suitable changes in the seating arrangement of the MP belonging to the DMK in the Lok Sabha. In view of the changed political circumstances and as our alliance with the Indian National Congress has come to an end, it may not be appropriate for our Members to continue occupying the present seating arrangement alongside them in the House," the party wrote.

TNCC on Friday launched a statewide protest against governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar for his refusal to invite the TVK to form the government despite it emerging as the single largest party in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

Leading a spirited demonstration at Anna Salai in Chennai, AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, and TNCC President K Selvaperunthagai accused the Raj Bhavan of acting as a "puppet" of the BJP-led Centre and subverting democratic norms.

Speaking to reporters at the protest site, Chodankar launched a scathing attack on the Governor's delay in government formation.

"The Governor has a mission, but he is following (Union home minister) Amit Shah. That is his problem," Chodankar charged.

When asked about mounting speculation regarding a potential "outside support" arrangement between traditional rivals DMK and AIADMK to keep the TVK-Congress combine out of power, Chodankar said, "Let them come together. Let everyone get exposed before the people of Tamil Nadu.”

Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran said, "The BJP is committed to the welfare and progress of the people of Tamil Nadu and has participated in the election process with the same fervour. However, the election results are gracefully accepted by our party, and we feel that the people of Tamil Nadu have not given any mandate for the BJP to form the government. We sincerely respect the will and the mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu and do not wish to align our party in any attempt to form the new government in the state of Tamil Nadu. Therefore, we do not wish any active participation in this process and will not vote for any party in the attempt to form the government."

Amid the suspense over government formation in Tamil Nadu, CPI leader D Raja said the Governor must abide by established constitutional practices. He stressed that democratic conventions should be followed while deciding which party gets the opportunity to form the government.

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Vijay’s TVK, as the single largest party in Tamil Nadu, should be invited to form the government. Citing Supreme Court rulings, he said Vijay must be allowed to prove his majority in the Assembly, adding there should be no scope for President’s Rule.

A day after the Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar insisted that TVK must prove majority, despite the party emerging as the single-largest in the Assembly elections, TVK supporters on Friday staged a protest outside the Lok Bhavan in Chennai.

TVK worker Suresh said, "If Vijay is not given the opportunity to become Chief Minister, further protests will be held in the future."

Police later removed the workers from the spot who were demanding that the Governor invite Vijay to form a government in Tamil Nadu.

Vijay's TVK has been working to garner support from other parties to form a government in Tamil Nadu since the Tamil Nadu assembly election results delivered a fractured mandate.

With the support of five Congress MLAs, the alliance stands at 112, still six short of the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member assembly.

Meanwhile, AIADMK National Spokesperson Kovai Sathyan hit out at TVK over its claims of being the single largest party and criticised its alliance with Congress.

"TVK is the one that gave a confession, claiming that we are the single largest party with 108 seats, and we have the support of 5 more. So, the Governor is duty-bound to ask, 'Where are the other 5?" Sathyan said on Friday.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore accused the BJP of attempting to take control of Tamil Nadu politics amid the ongoing government formation crisis. He alleged that the BJP was creating confusion in the state’s political landscape during the alliance negotiations.

On the political developments in Tamil Nadu, CPI General Secretary D Raja said, "We want the Governor to invite the single largest party, TVK should be allowed to form the government...The Governor must follow the established practices, conventions in our parliamentary democratic system...I do not know whether AIADMK and DMK are coming together or not...As far as we are concerned, yes, people want the left also to come to power..."

Congress leader Girish Choankar slammed Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Arlekar during a party protest, calling his actions an “attack on democracy, the Constitution and the public mandate.” The protest comes amid the ongoing deadlock over government formation in the state.

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar criticised the Congress’ decision to support Vijay’s TVK in Tamil Nadu, calling it “dreadful” and driven by “low political opportunism.” He warned that abandoning longtime ally DMK could indirectly aid the BJP’s entry into Tamil Nadu politics and damage Congress’ credibility.

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol Thirumavalavan on Friday said the party's high-level committee would meet in the evening to discuss the current political situation in Tamil Nadu, including an invitation from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) seeking support for government formation.

Speaking to ANI outside his residence in Chennai, Thirumavalavan said the party would decide its stand after detailed discussions in the meeting.

"This evening we have a room meeting with high-level committee members. We are going to discuss the current political scenario and will decide what our stance in this crisis is," he said.

Referring to TVK's outreach efforts, the VCK leader said the invitation to extend support would also be discussed during the meeting. "Invitation from TVK to support, we will discuss this in the meeting," he said.

"As well as we are still with the DMK alliance, so we will discuss the DMK relation. How are we going to maintain and continue so all these issues will be discussed," he added.

Criticising the Governor's handling of the government formation process, the VCK chief said, "Governor should not behave like this. We criticised the approach of the Governor," he said.

Earlier, Governor Arlekar on Thursday invited TVK's Vijay to Lok Bhavan, and explained that the requisite majority support in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, essential for forming the Government, has not been established.

Outside TVK Chief Vijay’s residence, a supporter said, "Vijay will take charge. DMK has been totally rejected. The public gave its vote to Vijay. DMK has no ground. The governor must take some appropriate action."

As the Tamil Nadu government formation continues, AIADMK MP M Thambidurai said multiple discussions are underway and expressed confidence that the party will return to power. With no party crossing the majority mark, AIADMK’s 47 seats have become crucial amid intense alliance negotiations between TVK, DMK and regional allies.

On being asked if an alliance between DMK and AIADMK is possible, DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said, "...I don't think it is possible because we, DMK and AIADMK, are the major enemies in Tamil Nadu politics..."

Amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK leader and MP M Thambidurai expressed confidence in his party’s comeback. “Public sentiment is in favour of AIADMK returning to power, and it may happen in due course with the grace of God,” he said.

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Arlekar told TVK chief Vijay that the party lacks the majority needed to form the government, triggering protests by TVK cadres outside Lok Bhavan. TVK is now seeking support from Left parties, VCK and IUML, with alliance decisions expected soon.

The CPM is holding a State Secretariat meeting to decide whether to extend support to TVK or the Dravidian alliance. A final decision is expected during the 2 PM meeting.

With Congress support taking TVK only to 113 seats, Vijay has reached out to smaller parties including CPI, CPM, and VCK to secure the remaining numbers required to form the government. CPI leader Veerapandiyan confirmed that Vijay had written seeking support for what he described as a “progressive government,” with key decisions expected after internal meetings.

With Congress support taking TVK only to 113 seats, Vijay has reached out to smaller parties including CPI, CPM, and VCK to secure the remaining numbers required to form the government. CPI leader Veerapandiyan confirmed that Vijay had written seeking support for what he described as a “progressive government,” with key decisions expected after internal meetings.