President’s Rule should be imposed in Tamil Nadu and fresh elections should be conducted in the state as no party could clinch a clear majority in the Assembly elections, said Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu on Thursday.
His remarks came as actor-turned-politician Vijay continued efforts to gather support to form the next government.
Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), emerged as the single-largest party by winning 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly. However, the party remains short of the majority mark of 118 seats.
In a post on social media platform X, Vembu said that “President’s Rule with fresh elections may be the best course.”
He also called for strict action against cash-for-vote practices if fresh elections are held.
According to him, a re-election with tighter monitoring would reveal the “real mandate” of the people.
Vembu further claimed that if fresh elections take place under stricter conditions, Vijay could return with a “super majority.”
He also said that if rival parties such as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) want to stop TVK, they should contest together.
“The numbers don't seem to add up. Whatever government is cobbled together is likely to be unstable with various pulls and pressures. Tamil Nadu deserves better. President's Rule with fresh elections may be the best course, this time with very strict ‘no cash for votes’ enforcement. Then we will see who has the real mandate,” he said on X.
Vijay has already met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar to stake claim to form the government.
However, the Governor reportedly asked him to return with signatures of 118 MLAs to prove majority support before the swearing-in process can move ahead.
Meanwhile, the Congress party has reportedly extended conditional support to TVK, while AIADMK has publicly stated that it will not support Vijay’s bid to form the government.
Several regional leaders and constitutional experts have argued that, as the single-largest party, TVK should be given the first opportunity to prove its majority on the Assembly floor.
