Rohit Kumar
NEW DELHI, May 8: A last-minute hassle is learned to have hit the formation of a new government in Tamil Nadu and the possibility of swearing-in of the actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay’s as the chief minister on Saturday has been postponed.
Sources in Governor RV Arlekar’s office on Friday night said the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay hasn’t been invited to take the oath as the Chief Minister on Saturday because he couldn’t prove the support of 118 MLAs, the majority mark in the state’s 234-strong Assembly, giving a new twist to the on-going Tamil Nadu thriller.
Despite hectic negotiations with the VCK, AMMK, and an IUML MLA to convince them to side with the TVK, Vijay couldn’t muster the requisite support, sources said, adding the actor-politician has the support of 116 MLAs, two short of the majority figure. The superstar couldn’t produce the letter of support from the VCK and the IUML, sources said.
The IUML later released a letter saying it was not part of the TVK-led alliance. TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK has made its intention clear that it would not support Vijay, as it has written to the Governor extending support to the AIADMK. Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Arlekar in the evening and staked a claim to form the government, declaring that he had the support of 118 MLAs but the governor was not convinced.
Vijay’s TVK swept the election; the party won 108 of 234 seats but the joy of that win dissipated quickly after Governor Arlekar made it clear he would not invite the TVK leader to form the government unless he could show the support in writing of at least 118 elected MLAs.
Two meetings in two days – Wednesday and Thursday – but Arlekar didn’t budge. He told Vijay on Friday that he could not run a government of 113 MLAs when the House majority is 118. And he insisted on letters of support from as many MLA-elects.
The Congress broke from allies Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to contribute five seats in Vijay’s alliance, on condition that the politician and the TVK do not ally with ‘communal parties’ – a reference to the Bharatiya Janata Party that is partnered with the AIADMK. The TVK then also opened talks with the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Communist Party of India.
All three were also DMK allies and had been in talks with MK Stalin’s party over alternative routes to power, including remaining by his side and entering what many derided as an ‘unholy alliance’, ie, tying up with his arch-rivals, the AIADMK. Vijay had also sought support from one of two MLA-elects from the Indian Union Muslim League and the lone MLA-elect from TTV Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam. Left parties CPI and CPM have announced outside support to the TVK. They will not be part of the cabinet. The Congress expects two berths for its support.
Comments are closed.