CHENNAI: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay remained locked in a numbers battle on Friday after Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar declined to invite him to form the government, citing the absence of a clear majority in the Assembly once again.
Ending days of political suspense, Vijay met the Governor at Lok Bhavan on Friday evening and formally staked claim to form the government with the backing of 116 MLAs. The TVK chief submitted letters of support from the Congress, CPI and CPM, but continued to fall short of the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member House, as the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) were yet to extend written support.
"Joseph Vijay has not been able to show that he has majority. TVK currently has support of 116 MLAs. There was no letter of support from VCK, IUML or any other party. He has not been invited to take oath on Saturday or Sunday, " sources close to Governor Arlekar told DT Next, after the meeting.
The development has prolonged the uncertainty surrounding the formation of the next government in Tamil Nadu, even as TVK intensified efforts to secure the remaining numbers required to cross the halfway mark.
Vijay arrived at Lok Bhavan accompanied by senior party leaders, including N Anand and K A Sengottaiyan. Also present was KVN Productions founder and Jana Nayagan film producer Venkat K Narayana. In contrast to the visibly tense atmosphere during his earlier interaction with the Governor on May 6, Vijay was seen exchanging pleasantries with Arlekar, including a customary "Vanakkam", along with the presentation of a bouquet and shawl.
Later in the evening, Vijay visited the offices of the CPI and CPM in T Nagar and thanked the Left leadership for backing the TVK's bid to form the government.