TN govt formation deadlock: Governor rejects Vijay's claim, 2 short of majority
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay on Friday, 8 May met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan in Chennai and formally staked a claim to form the state government — only to be turned away again, as his tally of 116 MLAs fell two short of the 118 required for a majority in the 234-member Assembly. The refusal prolongs a political deadlock that has gripped Tamil Nadu for nearly four days since election results delivered a fractured mandate.
The Numbers That Blocked Vijay
Vijay submitted letters of support from the Indian National Congress (INC), the Communist Party of India (CPI), and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), pushing his declared tally to 116 seats. However, two key potential allies — the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) — had not yet submitted written letters of support to the Governor, leaving the coalition two seats short of the majority threshold.
Sources close to Governor Arlekar confirmed that Vijay was informed he could not be invited to form the government without demonstrable majority support on paper. Raj Bhavan sources told reporters:
