Vijay still short of majority as suspense continues over govt formation in Tamil Nadu: Sources

Tamil Nadu's fast-moving political drama witnessed another unexpected turn, with sources from the Governor office confirming that actor-turned-politician Thalapathy Vijay has not been invited to take oath as Chief Minister on Saturday (May 9). Officials said the delay is due to his inability to present proof of support from the 118 MLAs required to form the government in the 234-member Assembly.

According to sources, Vijay engaged in talks with VCK, AMMK and one IUML legislator to secure their backing for TVK. However, he could not gather the additional numbers needed, and his support now stands at 116 MLAs, leaving him two short of the majority mark.

What happened at Lok Bhavan

Sources at Lok Bhavan revealed that Vijay submitted a letter to the Governor listing the support of 116 MLAs and conveyed that two VCK legislators had assured him of backing. He reportedly informed the Governor that their formal letters of support would be submitted shortly.

Based on this assurance, Vijay requested a slot at 11 am on Saturday for his swearing-in ceremony. The Governor is learnt to have responded that he had no objection to administering the oath at that time if Vijay furnished support letters from 118 MLAs before the deadline.

After Vijay left Lok Bhavan, the TVK publicly announced that he would take oath at 11 am on Saturday. However, unlike the previous two meetings, where Lok Bhavan issued a press release within thirty minutes, there has been no official communication this time. Sources said the Governor is still awaiting the final two letters of support.

Missing letters deepen uncertainty

The two letters weree supposed to be issued by VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan. However, both VCK MLAs reportedly met DMK president MK Stalin, after which Thirumavalavan has not been in touch with the TVK leadership, sources claimed.

In another blow, Vijay was unable to submit the support letters from VCK and IUML to the Governor on time. The situation worsened when both IUML and AMMK declined to join the TVK-led coalition which further dented his efforts to cross the majority threshold.

TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member House but fell short of the majority benchmark of 118. However, Congress, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India Marxist and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi tried to close the gap by extending their backing to the Vijay-led formation.

Governor sought clarity on numbers

Despite emerging as the single-largest in the Assembly elections, the absence of a clear majority led to growing criticism of the Governor for not immediately inviting Vijay to form the government. TVK leaders accused Governor Arlekar of delaying the constitutional process and acting under political influence.

During Thursday's meeting, the Governor reportedly asked Vijay to furnish the exact count of MLAs backing him and sought proof of the majority before taking a final decision. Vijay, who contested from two constituencies and won both, is expected to vacate the Trichy seat and continue as the MLA from Chennai Perambur.

A political breakthrough in Tamil Nadu

The 2026 Assembly election was significant for ending the three-decade-long dominance of DMK and AIADMK. For the first time since Independence, no party achieved a standalone majority in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Vijay's political debut reshaped the state's electoral map, drawing comparisons to iconic figures and energising large sections of young voters.

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