Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay was elected as the party’s legislative leader by newly elected MLAs on Tuesday, a day after he led him to victory in his maiden bypoll.
TVK defeated the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), bagging 108 seats in the 234-member assembly, just short of the 118 seats required to form the government.
The party needs 10 more seats to form the government and will need support from either the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance or the AIADMK-led NDA to claim the share.
“We all met and exchanged greetings with him. Later, he was unanimously elected leader of the Legislative Party.” J Kamachi, who won from Pallavaram constituency, told reporters.
Vijay is likely to meet Tamil Nadu Governor-in-charge Rajendra Arlikar at Lok Bhavan in Chennai on Wednesday.
Vijay’s meeting with the MLAs lasted over three hours at the party office in Panayer, about 45 km from here. The newly elected MLAs have been asked to stay in Chennai for the next two-three days in Chennai to participate in the swearing-in ceremony.
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Meanwhile, in a social media post, while responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings, Vijay said: “Thank you PMOIndia for your greetings.” The well-being of our people remains our only goal.”
“Apart from politics, we will focus on the progress of the state and the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu. We look forward to supporting the Union government in this endeavour,” TVK’s official social media account said on Tuesday.
Vijay also expressed his gratitude to Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for his greetings. “We will remain committed to excellence in public service, preserving the cultural spirit of our state which requires collective cooperation. Beyond politics, we will prioritize the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu,” he wrote in another social media post.
TVK bagged an impressive 108 seats defeating the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam which managed to get only 59 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections held on April 23.
The DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Congress, won five seats. The Indian Muslim League, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) won two seats each. The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), founded by actor-politician Vijaykanth, won one seat.
The AIADMK won 47 seats. Its alliance partners won four seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam got one seat each.
