Congress leader KC Venugopal on Tuesday said that Vijay, president of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), has approached the Congress seeking support to form the government in Tamil Nadu.
The Vijay-led party emerged as the single largest formation in the Assembly elections, winning 108 seats, but still 10 seats short of the majority mark needed to claim power. Congress, which won five seats, has not yet taken a final decision on providing support.
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Vijay won from the two constituencies he contested, Perambur in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli East. According to the rules of the Election Commission, he must vacate one seat. TVK sources indicate that he is likely to give up the Tiruchirappalli seat, said a PTI report.
If he does so, TVK’s number of seats will fall from 108 to 107. The numbers become lower because the party president, once elected, will not vote during a confidence motion, reducing the actual strength to 106.
This means that TVK will need the support of at least 12 additional MLAs to prove a majority. Within the DMK-led bloc, the Congress has five seats, the Left parties together have four, the DMDK has one seat, while the IUML and VCK have two seats each. On the other hand, within the AIADMK alliance, PMK has four seats, while BJP and AMMK have one seat each.
If TVK can get support beyond the majority mark of 118, the governor will invite the party to form the government. However, if it fails to gain sufficient support from other parties, it may be denied this opportunity.
In such a situation, the governor can invite the DMK, the second largest party, to try to form the government. If the DMK is also unable to prove a majority, Tamil Nadu may be placed under Governor’s rule for up to six months.
