The tense drama of the last few days in Tamil Nadu politics has finally come to an end. Putting an end to all speculations, Thal Thirumavallavan’s party VCK has extended its support to actor Vijay-led Thamiraga Vettori Kazhagam (TVK). As a result, superstar Vijay is going to take oath as the Chief Minister of the state after securing the required majority.
118 seats are required to form a government in the 294-member Tamil Nadu Assembly. Although Vijay’s TVK got 108 seats as the single largest party, it was a bit far from the required number to form the government. However, on Saturday (May 9) afternoon, the number of seats in Vijay’s alliance has now reached 120 with the unconditional support of VCK (2 seats) and IUML (2 seats).
In a letter sent to Governor RN Ravi, VCK said that they are supporting Vijay in the interest of ensuring a stable and democratic government in Tamil Nadu. Earlier, five Congress and four Left MLAs had supported Vijay.
The victory of Vijay and his party TVK has ushered in a historic change in Tamil Nadu politics. For the past 62 years, the state has been ruled alternately by the DMK and the AIADMK. Just two years ago, Vijay broke that long dominance by forming a party. In this election, the DMK won 59 seats and the AIADMK 47.
Outgoing Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin welcomed the decision of his allies (VK and the Left). He said that they have decided to support Vijay to avoid the ongoing political crisis in the state. However, at the same time, he strongly criticized the Congress and said that leaving the DMK and supporting Vijay without contacting them is like a ‘stab in the back’.
Vijay has been visiting the Raj Bhavan several times since last Wednesday to demand government formation. But Governor RN Ravi was adamant on demanding a physical letter signed by 118 MLAs. Vijay’s chances of becoming the Chief Minister were in doubt on Friday night after a controversy erupted over the support of an AMMK MLA. Finally, all obstacles were cleared this afternoon when VCK chief Thirumavallavan directly handed over the support letter to Vijay.
If everything goes well, Joseph Vijay will be sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in the next few days. This will mark the beginning of a new political chapter in the South Indian state.
Source: NDTV
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