Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Thursday said that Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay had called him and sought his support to form the government in Tamil Nadu, The Hindu reported.

Thirumavalavan added that the actor-politician had also sent a formal letter.

The comments came after the TVK, on its electoral debut, on Monday emerged as the single-largest party in the Tamil Nadu elections, winning 108 seats. However, it fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats in the 234-member Assembly.

The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi won two seats in the Assembly elections.

“We have to discuss the issue [on TVK seeking support] with the frontline leaders of the party,” the newspaper quoted Thirumavalavan as saying. “We are also continuously discussing it with the leaders of the Communist parties. We will take a decision together.”

The Congress, which won five seats in the elections, declared its support to Vijay on Wednesday. Even if the TVK accepts the support of the Congress, it still falls short of the majority mark by five seats.

The MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won 59 constituencies in the Assembly elections. The National Democratic Alliance, mainly comprising the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Bharatiya Janata Party, won 53 seats.

The Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) won two seats each.

The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the CPI and the CPI(M) are currently part of the alliance led by the DMK.

On Thursday, CPI leader M Veerapandian confirmed that TVK general secretary “Bussy” Anand met him and sought support for government formation, The Hindu reported.

“However, in a Communist party, individuals cannot take decisions on political issues,” The Hindu quoted him as saying. “We have convened a meeting of our state council on May 8 to take a decision on the matter.”

The state committee of the CPI(M) is also meeting on Friday to decide on Vijay’s request for support to form the government.

On Wednesday, Stalin told The Times of India that his party will wait for TVK to form the government in Tamil Nadu. The DMK will “watch without disturbing for six months”, the DMK chief added.

The comments came amid reports that the DMK and the AIADMK were holding talks to explore the possibility of forming a coalition government.

No majority established yet: Governor

On Thursday, Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar met Vijay at the Lok Bhavan in Chennai and told him that the requisite majority support needed in the Assembly to form the government had not been established, ANI quoted an official press release as saying.

A day earlier, the TVK chief had met Arlekar to stake claim to form the government in the state. The governor told the news agency that the actor-politician had claimed that his party had the majority required to form the government.

Congress questions governor

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee on Thursday criticised the governor, saying that governments are not decided on the lawns of the Lok Bhavan but on the floor of the House.

This comes after Arlekar reportedly asked TVK to produce documentary proof of majority support.

Vijay was also told that he can take the oath only after the numbers are proven, ANI reported.


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