Chennai: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor-turned-politician Vijay is unlikely to take oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on the scheduled date, as his party is still short of the required majority in the state assembly, according to multiple reports and sources.
TVK, which made a strong electoral debut by winning 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, is still ten seats short of the 118-mark needed to form a stable government. After adjustments in seat calculations due to procedural requirements, the effective strength of the party is considered to be even lower, further widening the gap.
Sources indicate that the Governor has not yet been fully convinced about TVK’s claim of majority support. The party had formally approached the Raj Bhavan staking claim to form the government, but officials are reportedly waiting for clearer proof of numbers before proceeding with the oath-taking ceremony.
Vijay recently met the Governor as part of efforts to demonstrate support from allied MLAs. TVK has also managed to secure backing from a small group of Congress MLAs, taking its current support tally closer but still below the majority mark.
Political observers say the situation remains fluid, with TVK exploring additional support from other parties and independent MLAs. However, no final agreement has been confirmed yet.
The uncertainty has cast doubt over the planned swearing-in ceremony, which was initially expected to take place soon after the results. Instead, the focus has now shifted to negotiations and alliance-building to ensure the party crosses the majority threshold.
Meanwhile, opposition parties have also reacted sharply, calling the situation a “numbers game” and questioning the stability of any potential government formed without a clear majority.
As things stand, the oath-taking has been postponed, and Vijay is expected to continue discussions with various political stakeholders in the coming days to secure a workable majority before taking charge.
