Will Vijay Be Able To Form Govt With Support From Smaller Parties?
Vijay has won from Trichy East and Perambur seats, and he is likely to retain Perambur, say sources
Published : May 5, 2026 at 11:26 AM IST
|Updated : May 5, 2026 at 1:12 PM IST
Chennai: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader and actor Vijay, who has made a stunning debut in Tamil Nadu electoral politics, has written to the Governor seeking an invitation to form the government in the state. In a message to Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Vijay has assured him that his party would prove the majority in the Assembly within two weeks.
Vijay's party TVK, which independently contested all 234 Assembly constituencies, has managed to get 108 seats. However, a total of 118 seats is required to secure a majority and form the government.
Meanwhile, Vijay will still be short by 11 seats as he will have to let go either of the Trichy East or Perambur seats from where he has won. Vijay won Trichy East with 91,381 votes, securing a margin of 27,416 votes. In Perambur, he won by a huge margin of 53,715 votes. He is likely to retain Perambur, say sources.
Under Section 70 of the Representation of the People's Act, 1951, if a person is elected to more than one seat in either House of Parliament or a State Legislature, he must resign all but one of the seats within a prescribed time. Otherwise, all seats become vacant.
As of now, the person will get 14 days from the declaration of the result to resign one seat.
While the DMK alliance has secured the second position with 73 seats in the state, the AIADMK alliance is in the third spot with 53 seats.
The TVK seems to be looking at possible backing from parties currently aligned with the DMK, including the Congress (5 seats), the CPI (2 seats), the CPM (2 seats) and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (2 seats). Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's reaction on X pointed to such a possibility.
"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,” Gandhi said in his post.
There are speculations that the Congress may drop its DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu and instead support the TVK. Another possible route for TVK is taking support from Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) an ally of AIADMK, which holds five seats apart from a few other small parties. However, it is unlikely that the PMK will break its alliance with AIADMK and join TVK.
Other options like the entire DMK alliance joining forces with the TVK or the opposition AIADMK alliance supporting the TVK in forming the government also cannot be totally ruled out, though such chances are remote.
Earlier, speaking to ETV Bharat, Senior Advocate K M Vijayan said, “If Vijay’s TVK secures a victory in more constituencies than other parties, the Governor of Tamil Nadu, in accordance with established protocol, is likely to formally invite Vijay to prove his legislative majority."
"Accepting the Governor’s invitation—and acknowledging the absence of an absolute single-party majority—Vijay could proceed to form a government by demonstrating a majority through the support of parties willing to enter into a coalition," he said.
"However, if a government is formed with the support of other parties, Vijay would have to allocate key ministerial portfolios to his coalition partners, acceding to their specific demands," he said.
"Hence it remains a matter of speculation whether the TVK, having contested and won the elections independently, would choose to seek a coalition solely for the purpose of forming a government," he said.
"Given that forming a government without coalition support would be an impossibility, Vijay would inevitably find himself in a position where he must accept the demands put forth by his potential partners," he added.
"Alternatively, should Vijay decide that he does not wish to form a government by proving a majority through coalition support, his victorious candidates must formally communicate this decision to the Governor via a letter of consent," he said.
"Consequently, the Governor would conclude that no single entity possesses the requisite majority to form a government and would recommend to the Election Commission that a fresh Legislative Assembly elections be conducted," he said.
"Subsequently, during the interim period leading up to the new elections, the Governor would exercise his constitutional powers to temporarily administer the state of Tamil Nadu until a new government is formed by the next ruling party," he said.
"Since a scenario of this nature has never before occurred in Tamil Nadu’s history, it is highly probable that TVK leader Vijay will, in fact, endeavour to form a government with the assistance of coalition partners,” he observed.
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