AIADMK MLAs to meet in Chennai today amid talks of outside support to Vijay's TVK

Chennai, May 6 The newly elected MLAs of the AIADMK are set to meet in Chennai on Wednesday amid growing indications that sections within the party favour extending outside support to actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government for at least a year.

The development assumes significance as TVK, which emerged as the single largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, remains short of the majority mark required to form a stable government.

Tamil Nadu has 234 Assembly constituencies, and a party requires 118 seats to secure a majority.

TVK won 108 seats in the recently concluded elections, falling short of the halfway mark. However, as the single largest party, TVK is expected to be invited by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to form the government. Once sworn in as Chief Minister, Vijay will have to prove his majority on the floor of the House within the timeframe fixed by the Governor.

Political observers point out that securing the required numbers may not be easy for the fledgling party.

Vijay contested and won from two constituencies and will have to vacate one seat, effectively reducing TVK’s strength to 107. Since the Speaker normally does not vote during a confidence motion except in the event of a tie, TVK may eventually require the support of at least 11 to 12 additional MLAs to survive the trust vote.

As TVK contested the polls independently, it had no pre-poll alliance partners. This has triggered intense behind-the-scenes discussions with parties from both the DMK-led and AIADMK-led alliances.

Sources indicated that the Indian National Congress, which won five seats as part of the DMK alliance, is considered more inclined towards supporting Vijay. Congress leaders had earlier explored the possibility of an alliance with TVK before the elections, though discussions did not materialise.

Rahul Gandhi’s congratulatory phone call to Vijay after the election results has further fuelled speculation over possible cooperation.

Meanwhile, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), which secured four seats in the AIADMK alliance, is also believed to be open to supporting TVK.

Political circles in Chennai are abuzz with speculation that a meeting between PMK President Anbumani Ramadoss and Vijay could take place soon.

Vijay has already indicated that he is open to a coalition arrangement, raising expectations among smaller parties that cabinet berths could be offered in return for support.

Political analysts believe such a move would mark a major shift in Tamil Nadu’s traditional bipolar political structure.

If AIADMK ultimately decides to support TVK from outside, Vijay could comfortably cross the majority mark without depending heavily on smaller parties, while also retaining greater control over the government.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor