Assembly Elections 2026: TVK leaders meet Vijay amid suspense on govt formation in Tamil Nadu

BJP national president Nitin Nabin said, “I congratulate the people of West Bengal and all other states that went to polls. I have come here to offer prayers to Maa Kali after this victory in the land of Maa Kali and Maa Kamakhya. I believe that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, the culture and heritage of West Bengal can be taken forward. I wish for peace and prosperity in all states.”

Vijay led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam secured an impressive 108 seats, defeating the incumbent DMK led by M K Stalin, which finished with 59 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections held on April 23, according to the final tally released by the Election Commission of India on Tuesday.

The opposition AIADMK won 47 seats, while its ally PMK secured 4 seats. The BJP and AMMK won 1 seat each, as per data available on the Election Commission’s website.

Among the DMK’s allies, the Congress won 5 seats, while the IUML, CPI, CPI(M), and VCK secured 2 seats each, and the DMDK won 1 seat, out of the total 234 Assembly constituencies. Actor politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam created a record in the state’s electoral history by emerging as the single largest party, delivering a major setback to the DMK and its president Stalin, who also lost his Kolathur constituency, while the AIADMK was pushed to a distant third position.

In a post on X, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said that Delhi and West Bengal, where the BJP could not make significant gains even at the peak of the "Modi wave", have now delivered victories for the party.

He noted that in 2015 in Delhi and 2016 in West Bengal, the BJP had won just 3 seats each.

Kejriwal added that the same regions have now been won by the BJP at a time when, according to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity was declining across the country, and questioned how this shift had occurred.

Posters of Congress MP and general secretary KC Venugopal have appeared in Thiruvananthapuram following the United Democratic Front’s sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly elections.

The posters, seen along Trivandrum Road on Tuesday, come amid ongoing discussions over the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate. The Congress led UDF secured a decisive 102 of 140 seats in the April 9 polls, with results declared on Monday, marking a significant political shift after a decade.

The Congress won 63 seats, while its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League, secured 22 seats.

Many TMC offices were vandalised in parts of West Bengal as celebrations followed the BJP’s victory in the state.

Isolated incidents of arson and damage were reported from several areas, with Trinamool Congress offices among those targeted. The TMC condemned the incidents, alleging violence by BJP supporters and accusing the party of resorting to “gutter politics” after coming to power.

TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna arrived at the residence of party chief Vijay as celebrations continued following the election results.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam won 108 of the 234 seats in the state, emerging as the single largest party.

Superstar Mohanlal has congratulated TVK chief Vijay on his party’s historic performance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

TVK secured 108 seats in the 234 member House, falling just 10 short of a majority in its debut outing. In a post on X, Mohanlal praised Vijay, calling the people’s trust a great honour and expressing confidence that he would carry it forward with pride and purpose.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who lost the assembly elections to TVK’s VS Babu, accepted the verdict and congratulated the winners.

In a detailed post on social media, Stalin said that over the past 5 years, his government had implemented several projects and ensured effective governance across the state. He added that Tamil Nadu had progressed on multiple fronts and that his party had sought votes based on its record of achievements.

He said the campaign focused on continuing welfare schemes introduced for the people, and thanked voters who supported the secular progressive alliance led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Stalin also said he governed not only for those who voted for him but also for those who did not, adding that he remained committed to serving all citizens and had acted in line with his conscience.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi congratulated actor-turned-politician Vijay on his party’s strong performance in Tamil Nadu.

“I spoke to Thiru Vijay and congratulated him on TVK’s spectacular result. This mandate reflects the rising voice of youth which cannot, and will not, be ignored. My heartfelt thanks to Congress workers in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for their hard work and support. I reiterate that the Congress party will continue to protect and serve the people of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

Reacting to the BJP’s sweeping victory in the state, party MLA elect Dilip Ghosh said, “The result is exactly what we had anticipated. People have given their strong support to the BJP. Governance provides sufficient time to deliver, and we will make the most of this opportunity.”

TVK leader Vijay has written to Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar, seeking an invitation to form the government. In his email to Raj Bhavan, Vijay said the party would prove its majority within two weeks.

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which has won 108 Assembly seats, has formally staked its claim to power, with Vijay urging the Governor to invite him to take the oath as chief minister.

For a state long shaped by towering leaders such as K Kamaraj, M Karunanidhi, MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, the rise of TVK is being viewed as a fresh disruption to a familiar two party political landscape.

Now, with TVK emerging as a potential single largest force without a clear majority, attention turns to what lies ahead for Vijay and his political experiment.

TVK founder Vijay had envisioned his political entry as a solo venture, with his father and former filmmaker S A Chandrasekhar earlier telling ANI that the actor turned politician was expected to chart an independent path.

Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, who defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her home constituency of Bhabanipur on Monday, has emerged as the frontrunner for the chief minister’s post after the Bharatiya Janata Party swept the assembly elections in the state, party functionaries said.

The BJP won the West Bengal assembly polls for the first time, securing 206 of the state’s 293 seats where counting was held. Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress won or was leading in 81 seats.

Reacting to the election results in four states and one Union Territory, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "I think the party will have to do some very serious introspection, no doubt about it. We’ve said this before, and today we have a very good example of what worked right. If we can get it right in Kerala, what can we do to get it right elsewhere? That is a lesson the Congress party should learn."

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will address a press conference at 4 pm today following the party’s defeat in West Bengal.

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will address a press conference at 4 pm today following the party’s defeat in West Bengal.

In a strongly worded post-election statement, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who won the Nandigram seat by a margin of nearly 10,000 votes, credited his victory to the support of the Hindu community in the region.

Speaking to ANI, Adhikari said his focus would now be on serving the Hindu population of Nandigram. He also launched a sharp attack on the ruling TMC, calling it a “corrupt, family oriented party with no ideology,” and predicted a swift political decline for the party. Read more