The mood in the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) camp shifted from jubilation to anxiety by Wednesday evening as C Joseph Vijay's party found itself facing a five-seat gap in forming a government in an assembly of 234 members, even after the Congress party extended its support.
Governor Demands Proof of Majority
TVK sources revealed that Governor R V Arlekar insisted on letters of support from an adequate number of MLAs before deciding on the swearing-in date. The ceremony, initially planned for Thursday, was subsequently put on hold.
Congress Offers Support
In the forenoon, Congress leaders called on Vijay at the TVK headquarters in Panaiyur, presenting letters of support from their five MLAs. Vijay then drove to Lok Bhavan and expressed his intent to Governor Arlekar to form the government. However, when there was no response from Lok Bhavan until late evening, TVK's Aadhav Arjuna met the governor again.
AIADMK Moves MLAs to Resort
Meanwhile, the AIADMK moved its MLAs to a resort in Puducherry. Unconfirmed reports suggested that the DMK and AIADMK were in conversation regarding the situation. The Congress party faced criticism from the DMK for what they termed as 'betraying voters and abandoning a long-standing alliance.'
TVK Scrambles for Numbers
At the end of the day, TVK, which had been in talks with parties from both rival alliances, was still struggling to find the necessary numbers. While the IUML (with 2 MLAs) stated it would not support TVK, other DMK allies such as VCK, CPI, CPM (each with 2 MLAs), and DMDK (1 MLA) have yet to commit. The AIADMK, which had earlier opened channels of communication with TVK, also ruled out support.
'Under no circumstance has AIADMK offered support to TVK,' party deputy general secretary K P Munusamy told reporters after general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami chaired a meeting of the 47 newly elected MLAs.
