CHENNAI: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) general secretary Aadhav Arjuna on Tuesday claimed that actor-politician Vijay had turned down an offer of the chief minister’s post along with a 50% seat-sharing arrangement ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
Speaking at a party meeting in Kolathur, Arjuna said an unnamed party had proposed a 50:50 alliance, including a rotational chief ministership for two-and-a-half years. He added that offers ranged from 50 to 90 seats, all of which were declined by Vijay.
“Vijay is not someone who will bow to Delhi for power. He wants the trust of Tamil Nadu’s people, not the chief minister’s post,” Arjuna said.
The remarks follow Vijay’s statement a day earlier ruling out any alliance and confirming that TVK will contest the April 23 polls independently, setting up a potential four-cornered contest. This came amid reports that talks between the TVK and the BJP-led NDA were at an advanced stage.
Reports indicated that the BJP camp had offered around 60 seats and the Deputy Chief Minister’s post, while TVK pushed for Vijay to serve as Chief Minister in the first half of the term—a proposal reportedly not accepted by the AIADMK leadership, including Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Reinforcing this stand, former minister and TVK functionary KA Sengottaiyan on Monday said Vijay had entered politics to become Chief Minister, adding that there was no question of accepting a Deputy Chief Minister post. "People have accepted Vijay and are extending support with the expectation that he should become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu," he had said.
(With inputs from PTI)