Vijay's number game: How Tamil Nadu assembly tally stacks up for TVK after Congress' support

TAMILAGA Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Wednesday (6 May) and staked a claim to form the state government. The development came two days after his political outfit emerged as the single largest party but fell short of a simple majority.

On Wednesday, the Congress announced its support to the TVK to form the Tamil Nadu government, in a move the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) — the Congress' long-time ally — described as "backstab".

Vijay is likely to take oath as Chief Minister on 7 May, according to party sources.

How many MLAs from the TVK, Congress and other political parties will form the Tamil Nadu Assembly? How many ministers can Tamil Nadu have? Here's how numbers stack up after the 2026 polls:

Party-wise number of MLAs in Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2026:

The Tamil Nadu Assembly has 234 members. Of them:

TVK has 108 MLAs

DMK: 59

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK): 47

Congress: 5

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK): 4

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML): 2

Communist Party of India (CPI): 2

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi VCK: 2

Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M): 2

Bharatiya Janata Party -(BJP): 1

Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK): 1

Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMKMNKZ): 1

Who will form Tamil Nadu govt?

The TVK, which contested and won the Tamil Nadu election with a majority of seats, will form the state government with support from the Congress.

A political party or a coalition must cross the majority mark to comfortably form the government. In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the majority mark is 118. None of the political parties achieved this mark in the 2026 elections.

The TVK, as the single-largest party, staked a claim to form the Tamil Nadu government. Party chief Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Wednesday regarding this. The TVK won 108 seats and needs an additional 10 seats to form a government.

While the Congress party with 5 MLAs has publicly announced its support for the TVK, it was not immediately clear who else among smaller parties has extended support to Vijay's party.

How do the numbers stack up in TVK's favour in Tamil Nadu Assembly?

Going by the absolute number of seats won by the parties in the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections, the ruling coalition in Tamil Nadu will likely consist of:

TVK: 108 MLAs

Congress: 5 MLAs

The official tally in favour of the TVK-Congress' side stands at 113 seats and is still short of five. No other political party has announced its support for the TVK yet. Here's what other parties are saying:

"In a bid to bridge the gap, the TVK has also approached AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS)," Tamil Nadu Congress President K Selvaperunthagai was quoted by ANI as saying on Wednesday.

The support of the AIADMK, which secured 47 seats in the assembly elections, could help the TVK comfortably cross the halfway mark.

The VCK, an ally of the DMK, was yet to take a decision, party sources told PTI on Wednesday. "It will be decided by our party president, Thol Thirumavalavan," a senior party functionary was quoted as saying.

The Left parties and the IUML ruled out providing support to Vijay's party, PTI news added. The CPI(M), CPI, and IUML legislators asserted that they would continue to support DMK.

Despite Vijay's TVK not having the support of at least 118 MLAs, the actor-turned-politician is likely to hold the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.

What happens next?

Vijay will likely be sworn in as the chief minister even as the Governor's invitation to form the state government is awaited.

Vijay's TVK, with the Congress's support, will likely form a minority government; however, he may need to pass a floor test if the governor demands it.

The TVK needs the support of only five more MLAs to prove a majority in the Assembly. The big question is whether he can secure the backing of a few more MLAs.

How many cabinet ministers can Tamil Nadu have?

Tamil Nadu, which has 234 assembly seats, can have up to 35 Cabinet ministers. The outgoing DMK government had 34 ministers.