TVK's Vijay Wins 108 Seats In Tamil Nadu, Seeks Congress Support; Venugopal Says No To BJP Or Its Proxies In Govt

Chennai: A day after actor C Joseph Vijay led his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s emergence as the largest single party winning 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the party on Tuesday formally reached out to the Congress seeking its support.

Confirming this, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal told journalists in Delhi that Vijay had approached it seeking its support. The Congress won five constituencies in alliance with the DMK.

“The Congress is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government, committed to protecting the Constitution, letter and spirit. The Congress is determined not to have the BJP or its proxies to run the Tamil Nadu government. Accordingly, the Congress leadership has directed the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) to take a final decision on Mr. Vijay’s request, keeping in view the sentiments of the State reflected in the electoral verdict,” Mr. Venugopal said.

The TVK needs 10 seats to cross the half-way mark. On Tuesday, the party elected Vijay as the leader of its Legislature Party. The party has also sought an appointment with Governor Arlekar on Wednesday when it is expected to stake claim to form the next Government.

The Governor has the prerogative to invite him to form the next Government after insisting that Vijay produce the letter of support from the minimum required legislators for a majority in the House. Alternatively, he could invite him to form the Government on the basis of his strength as leader of the largest single party and then prove his majority in the House during a floor test within a specified time.