Vijay Thalapathi Faces Obstacles in Forming Government Despite Winning Most Seats in Tamil Nadu
In the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly elections in India, actor Vijay Thalapathi’s party, Tamilga Vettri Kadagam (TVK), has won the most seats, breaking the decades-long legacy of Dravidian parties. However, out of 234 assembly seats, TVK secured only 108 seats. Although becoming the largest party in the parliament, Thalapathi is facing difficulties in forming a government. To establish a majority government in the 234-member assembly, a minimum of 118 seats is required. Even three days after the election results were declared, Thalapathi has yet to secure a majority to form the government. On Thursday, the Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan (Governor’s office) issued a statement noting that TVK has not yet demonstrated a majority in the assembly.
“The Honourable Governor of Tamil Nadu, Thiru Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, met with Mr. C. Joseph Vijay (Vijay Thalapathi), President of TVK, today (May 7) at the Lok Bhavan in Chennai. During the meeting, the Governor informed that the required support for a majority in the Tamil Nadu Assembly to form a government has not been established,” the statement from the Governor’s office read. Although TVK holds 108 seats, it still needs at least 10 more seats to prove a majority. The Congress party, which has won five seats so far, has pledged support, but five more seats are still necessary. As TVK has not been able to establish a majority, Governor Arlekar has yet to invite Vijay Thalapathi to form the government. This has sparked intense debate in Tamil Nadu over why the Governor has not called upon the largest party to form the government after the elections.
Vijay is left with limited options. When no party or coalition secures a clear majority in the assembly, it is termed a “hung assembly” or “stalemate parliament.” The Tamil Nadu assembly election has resulted in such a stalemate, complicating government formation for the largest party, TVK. In this situation, the Governor’s decision not to invite the largest party to form the government raises significant questions. Additionally, there is speculation that an alliance government might be formed between the traditional rivals DMK and AIADMK, bypassing TVK. Meanwhile, TVK continues to strive to secure a majority to form the government.
If TVK plus its allies reach 119 seats, they would exceed the required majority. The second option for TVK is to form a minority government. Being the largest party, the Governor may still invite TVK to form the government. Once formed, TVK could strategize to bring other parties into its fold. The challenge posed by Vijay’s victory remains: despite trailing by 10 seats behind a majority, TVK needs at least 12 additional legislators to form the government. This is also because among the 108 seats won, Vijay Thalapathi himself won two, in Tiruchirappalli East and Perambur. By rule, he must vacate one seat, thereby reducing TVK’s tally to 107. Furthermore, when a Speaker is elected, they do not vote during confidence motions, which would reduce the number of voting members in TVK to 106.
