Governor Arlekar rushes to Chennai; Vijay to meet him today to stake claim to form government

CHENNAI: Kerala Governor, RV Arlekar, who also holds additional charge of Tamil Nadu, is arriving in Chennai on an emergency basis today (May 6). He is scheduled to land at the Chennai airport at 1.30 pm on an IndiGo Airlines passenger flight from Thiruvananthapuram.

Upon arrival, Arlekar will proceed directly to the Raj Bhavan in Guindy. Later in the day, TVK leader and actor Vijay is expected to meet the Governor at Raj Bhavan and formally stake his claim to form the government.

The development follows the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, vote counting for which ended on Monday evening. TVK emerged as the single largest party, winning 108 seats.

On Tuesday, TVK's newly elected MLAs met collectively and elected actor Vijay as the leader of their legislative party. Subsequently, the party sent an email to Governor Arlekar, requesting that they be invited to form the government and asserting that they would prove their majority on the floor of the House within two weeks.

Meanwhile, outgoing Chief Minister MK Stalin, after his party's electoral defeat, submitted his resignation via email to the Governor on Tuesday. Arlekar accepted the resignation but requested Stalin to continue in office until alternative arrangements were made.

It may be recalled that former Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi was transferred to West Bengal. Instead of appointing a separate new Governor for Tamil Nadu, the Centre gave additional charge to Kerala Governor Arlekar, who now oversees both states.

With the Kerala Assembly polls also concluded and a new cabinet set to be sworn in there, Arlekar has been busy with administrative duties in Thiruvananthapuram. However, with the political situation in Tamil Nadu requiring his attention, he has now rushed to Chennai.

After arriving at the old Chennai airport by 1.30 pm, Arlekar will travel by car to the Raj Bhavan in Guindy. Sources indicate that Vijay will meet him there shortly thereafter, submit the list of supporting MLAs, and formally stake his claim to form the government.