'Thalapathy' Vijay set to take oath as Tamil Nadu CM tomorrow

‘THALAPATHY’ Vijay is poised to take oath as the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after his debutant political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) secured crucial support from key political allies and crossed the required majority mark in the 234-member Assembly.

The development comes after Vijay met acting Governor of Tamil Nadu Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan, where he formally staked claim to form the government after consolidating support from multiple parties following the fractured mandate in the recently concluded Assembly elections. The Governor was not convinced with numbers in support of Vijay in earlier two meetings.

The TVK, which emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, had fallen short of the majority mark of 118 required to form the government independently. However, with the support of Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the party has successfully crossed the majority threshold.

•5 QUESTIONS

1

How did Thalapathy Vijay's TVK party secure enough support to form the government in Tamil Nadu?

Thalapathy Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) secured crucial support from the Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK). This support helped TVK cross the majority mark of 118 seats in the 234-member Assembly.

2

What is the significance of the Sarkaria Commission Report in Tamil Nadu's government formation?

The Sarkaria Commission Report states that if a single party has an absolute majority, its leader should be asked to become Chief Minister. If not, the Governor should select a Chief Minister from pre-election alliances, then the largest single party with support, and so on.

3

Why did the Congress party face criticism for supporting Vijay's TVK?

The Congress faced criticism from DMK and other INDIA bloc partners for severing its 55-year alliance with the DMK to support Vijay's TVK. Critics called the move 'myopic' and accused Congress of 'backstabbing' allies and being an 'unstable partner'.

4

Has Tamil Nadu seen governments formed without a clear majority before?

Yes, there have been instances in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, and at the Centre, where parties formed governments without a clear majority. Governors have invited leaders to form governments, with the expectation that they would prove their majority on the floor of the House.

5

What was the mandate in the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly elections?⌵

The recent Tamil Nadu Assembly elections resulted in a fractured mandate, with TVK emerging as the single-largest party but falling short of the majority mark of 118 seats needed to form the government independently.

The CPI, CPI(M) and VCK, which won 2 seats each, extended their support to TVK, taking the tally of the party to the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member assembly, along with the 5 seats from Congress.

CPI State Secretary Veerapandian said the Left parties have given their support of 6 MLAs to Vijay's TVK as it is their ‘demoractic duty’. “TVK is the single-largest party. It needs 6 MLAs to form the Govt. We have given 6 MLAs of CPI, CPI(M) and VCK. We have given our support; it is our democratic duty. This is a people's democracy. We will stand with democracy, we will stand with people,” he told nes agencies.

Earlier, the CPI (M), in an official letter, conveyed its "support" to TVK for the purpose of forming a government in the state, while CPI extended "conditional support" to the Vijay-led party in favour of "stable, secular and democratic governance for the people of Tamil Nadu."

Fractured Mandate

Despite emerging as the single-largest in the Assembly elections, TVK recieved a fractured mandate of 108, falling short of 10 seats to clear the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member assembly.

TVK president and actor Vijay contested in two constituencies and won both. He is expected to resign in Trichy and continue as MLA from Chennai Perambur assembly constituency. With Vijay also to step down from one of the two seats he won in the assembly polls, the effective strength of TVK in the assembly will become 117.

The Congress, with its 5 seats, extending partnership to TVK, ending a years-old alliance with DMK, took the TVK's tally to 112.

Ending DMK-AIADMK rule

The results of the Tamil Nadu elections, conducted in a single phase on April 23, witnessed the historic emergence of a party led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, bringing to an end the DMK-AIADMK three- decade-old 'duopoly'.

However, since Independence, in every Assembly election, either the Congress, DMK, or AIADMK has secured a clear majority and formed the government independently. For the first time in Tamil Nadu's history, no party reached the majority mark of 118 seats. And it will be the first time in six decades that Tamil Nadu will bet a non-DMK-non-AIADMK leader as its chief minister.

Vijay is MGR 2.0?

No wonder, while some crushed over Thalapathy, others saw an image of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in him, for Vijay's political debut has been nothing short of spectacular in the state politics. Some even compared him with former Tamil Nadu CM MG Ramachandran, who was popular as MGR as an actor before becoming a politician. Others drew parallels with NT Rama Rao – the legendary actor-turned-politician who served as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister for over seven years across four terms.

The time shall now unveil what the tenure of Vijay as Chief Minister means for Tamil Nadu.

Here is the party-wise allocation as Vijay is set to take the oath tomorrow at 11 am in Chennai

Assembly Seats in Tamil Nadu: 134

Majority Mark: 118

Vijay+Others

TVK: 107 (excluding one of two seats won by Vijay).

Congress: 5

CPI: 2

CPIM: 2

IUML: 2

VCK: 2

TOTAL Supporting Vijay: 120

Opposition

DMK: 59

AIADMK: 47

BJP: I

PMK: 4

DMDK: 1

AMMKMNKZ: 1