Everything seemed to be going well for actor-politician Vijay and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) as he made history by sweeping votes in a usually Dravidian party-majority state like Tamil Nadu. But before he could celebrate his victory, TN governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar asked him to show majority numbers before forming a government. Prakash Raj, who admits having ideological differences with Vijay, slammed the governor for his behaviour.
Prakash Raj advocates for Vijay’s and TVK’s rights
An X (formerly Twitter) user and a fan of Vijay posted a video of the actor-politician heading to the governor’s home for a meeting on Thursday. Posting it, they opined, “Vijay left his house to meet Governor again and convince him that he has the required number to form Govt. This is why governor post should be abolished. An appointed guy just playing games with elected MLAs.”
Prakash re-posted it on X and slammed the governor, writing, “This Governor s behaviour is Disgusting .. unacceptable and unconstitutional. We may have differences … but Vijay has got the mandate . He should be allowed to claim his right on the floor of the house. #justasking.” He also wrote in another post, “Respect people’s Mandate and let Vijay claim his right to form the government #justasking.”
Why TVK is struggling to form government
On May 4, when the TN election results were announced, TVK took the lead by winning 108 of the 234 seats. While a majority compared to the other parties, they were still short of winning the majority and the 118 number. After joining with Congress, the alliance has 112 members, just five short of a majority.
However, ANI reported that TN governor Rajendra asked TVK chief Vijay to show majority numbers and submit a list of supporting MLAs on Thursday in their second meeting. TVK does not have the required majority support in the state Assembly to form the government, he said in a press release. The governor reportedly sought clarity on the ‘magic number’ required for the government formation. The news agency also quoted sources stating that Vijay has been asked to explore legal options by party seniors after this.
TVK stunned the Dravidian parties Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) by winning a majority within two years of the party’s formation. Vijay’s swearing-in has been delayed amid this uncertainty with BJP’s Narayanan Tirupathy telling NDTV that it was a ‘fractured verdict’.
Vijay is expected to quit films now that he has tasted political success. His final film Jana Nayagan has been delayed due to lack of CBFC certification and has yet to hit screens. The film was leaked online in April in HD print and nine arrests were made in the case.