Gov undecided on TVK’s claim
CHENNAI, MAY 6 (PTI/AGENCIES): TVK chief Vijay on Wednesday met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and staked a claim to form the government in the state after the Congress, in a major political shift and realignment, announced its support for the actor-turned politician’s party while severing its ties with the pre-poll ally DMK.
Two days after TVK emerged as the single largest party, shattering the decades-long, bipolar dominance of the DMK and AIADMK, its chief met Arlekar at Lok Bhavan after receiving an invitation from the Governor’s office and gave him a list of Congress MLAs who pledged support. However, Lok Bhavan sources indicated that a formal decision on inviting Vijay to form the government and holding the swearing-in ceremony has not yet been made, indicating that Governor Arlekar was not fully satisfied with Vijay’s claim of support.
Criticising the delay by the Lok Bhavan, Congress Lok Sabha MP Jothimani said “the Legislative Assembly is the place to prove majority and asserted that there was no need to prove majority in the Lok Bhavan.”
DMK to tie-up with arch-rival AIADMK?
As Vijay’s TVK scrambles to secure allies and form a government in Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has opened backchannel talks with its long-time rival, the AIADMK, sources told India Today TV, in a rare move between two parties that have traditionally defined the state’s political rivalry.
AIADMK sources confirmed that discussions have taken place, though there was no official word yet on any breakthrough.
The big question now is whether the DMK is willing to come on board in what would be an unprecedented shift in Tamil Nadu’s politics.
The DMK got 59 seats, while the AIADMK managed 47 in the April 23 Assembly polls.
But there’s a catch, even if the DMK and AIADMK join hands, their combined 106 MLAs would still fall short of enough numbers to govern. The majority mark is 118. So, both parties would need smaller parties for support if the reported alliance talks materialise.