TVK General Secretary and Vijay's close aide N Anand met AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday amid fast-moving political developments to form the government in Tamil Nadu following a fractured mandate in the state after the assembly elections 2026. Vijay's TVK has emerged as the single largest party in the elections, winning 108 seats.
According to sources, Vijay is expected to reach Lok Bhavan by 2 pm to stake a claim to form the government.
The development comes amid pressure mounting on Edappadi K Palaniswami to extend support to TVK, with speculation of possible dissent within the AIADMK. Palaniswami also appeared to soften his stance, saying it is for Vijay to decide whether he wants to form a stable government.
Tamil Nadu government formation: Understanding the maths
The TVK won 108 seats in the Tamil Nadu elections to dethrone the DMK, which won 59 seats. The debutant party led by Vijay needs just ten more seats to gain the majority.
AIADMK has won 47 seats in the 234-member assembly. A total of 118 seats are needed to form the state government. A probable TVK-AIADMK alliance would take the tally to 155, a much higher number than what's required to form the government and comfortable for TVK too, since it would have to align with a bigger party, instead of aligning with multiple smaller parties to achieve a majority.
Interestingly, the Congress has also extended support to the TVK with its 5 seats on the condition of getting two cabinet berths. The Left - CPI and CPIM, having won two seats each, however, sought two days to finalise whether they want to back the TVK.
Another smaller party in talks with TVK are Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), which has four MLAs in the new Tamil Nadu Assembly. Sowmiya Anbumani (Dharmapuri), A Ganeshkumar (Gingiee), C Sivakumar (Vikravandi), and G. Vaithilingam.
The VCK (Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi) has secured two seats, with Vanni Arasu winning from Tindivanam and LE Jothimani emerging victorious in Kattumannarkoil.
An alliance with Congress and the two smaller parties would take the tally to 119, just one seat more than the majority to form the government, but a rather unstable one.
What happens next?
Amid the fast-paced political development in Tamil Nadu, Vijay is expected to meet Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at 3.30 pm to stake claim to form the government. Preparations have begun at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai for the swearing-in ceremony of Vijay and the new government, expected to be held on tomorrow.
Also read: Tamil Nadu Govt Formation LIVE
