Vijay, chief of the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, staked a claim to form the government of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday after meeting the state governor.
The move signals a potential shift in regional power following the 2026 assembly elections, where the TVK emerged as a dominant force despite lacking an outright majority.
Vijay met with Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Lok Bhavan, the official residence of the governor in Chennai [1]. During the meeting, the TVK chief requested the governor's invitation to lead the state government [1].
The request follows the reporting of election results on May 2 [2]. The TVK won 108 seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election [3], making it the single largest party in the house [4]. However, the party remains short of a majority [4].
To secure a stable government, Vijay is seeking coalition support. This effort includes backing from the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee to bridge the gap between the party's current seat count and the threshold required for a majority [3, 4].
The governor's decision on who to invite to form the government typically depends on the ability of a leader to demonstrate a viable majority in the assembly. Vijay's meeting at Lok Bhavan is the first formal step in this process for the TVK leader [1].
“TVK won 108 seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election”
The emergence of the TVK as the single largest party disrupts the traditional political landscape of Tamil Nadu. Because the party lacks an outright majority, the stability of the next government depends entirely on the success of coalition negotiations, specifically the ability of Vijay to maintain a working agreement with the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
