Chennai, May 9 Senior AIADMK leaders, including former ministers S.P. Velumani, C. Vijayabaskar, and Leema Rose, held separate consultations with senior party leader C.V. Shanmugam amid ongoing political developments in Tamil Nadu.
Sources said the discussions are taking place as AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami is yet to take a final call on the party’s political strategy in the evolving situation.
Polling for all 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu was held in a single phase on April 23. The election witnessed a fierce four-cornered contest involving the DMK, AIADMK, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), and actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
When the votes were counted on May 4, the Vijay-led TVK emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, falling short of the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member Assembly.
Since then, the AIADMK has been making intense efforts to secure outside support and stake a claim to form the government.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have already announced their support for the TVK. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) has also extended support to the TVK.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) also formally extended support to Vijay. IUML legislative party leader SSB Syed Farook Basha and deputy leader A.M. Shahjahan submitted a signed letter to Governor-in-charge Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar expressing the party’s support for the TVK-led government.
According to the latest tally, TVK has the backing of 120 MLAs, including 107 from TVK, five from the Congress, two each from the CPI, CPI(M), VCK, and IUML.
Meanwhile, Vijay met the Governor for the fourth time in as many days to stake a claim to form the next government in the state.
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