Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Wednesday (May 6) and staked his claim to form the state government. The development came two days after his political party became the single largest party but fell short of a simple majority.
On Wednesday, the Congress announced its support to TVK in forming the Tamil Nadu government, a move that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) – a long-time ally of the Congress – described as a “stab in the back”.
Vijay is likely to take oath as Chief Minister on May 7, according to party sources.
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•5 QUESTIONS
The Tamil Nadu Assembly has 234 members, which requires 118 seats for a simple majority. The TVK with 108 seats needs another 10 seats to form a government.
The Congress party with 5 MLAs has publicly announced its support to TVK to form the government of Tamil Nadu. The alliance marks a break in the Congress’ 55-year partnership with the DMK.
The combined total for TVK and Congress is 113 seats (108 from TVK and 5 from Congress), still short of the 118 seats needed for a majority.
No, Tamil Nadu with 234 seats in Parliament can have a maximum of 35 Cabinet Ministers. The outgoing DMK government had 34 ministers.
The Congress made its support conditional on the TVK excluding from the alliance parties with communal ideologies that do not follow the Indian Constitution.
How many MLAs from TVK, Congress and other political parties will form the Tamil Nadu Assembly? How many ministers can Tamil Nadu have? This is how the numbers develop after the polls in 2026:
Number of Party Agreement MLAs in Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2026:
The Tamil Nadu Assembly has 234 members. of them:
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK): 47
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK): 4
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML): 2
Communist Party of India (CPI): 2
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi VCK: 2
Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPI(M): 2
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): 1
Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK): 1
Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMKMNKZ): 1
Who will form the government of Tamil Nadu?
TVK, which contested the Tamil Nadu elections and won them with a majority of seats, will form the state government with the support of the Congress.
In order for a political party or coalition to comfortably form a government, it must cross the majority line. In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the majority is 118. None of the political parties have reached this mark in the 2026 elections.
As the single largest party, TVK has staked its claim to form the government of Tamil Nadu. Party chief Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Wednesday regarding this. TVK won 108 seats and needs another 10 seats to form a government.
While the Congress party with 5 MLAs publicly announced their support to TVK, it was not immediately clear who else from the smaller parties supported Vijay’s party.
How do the numbers stack up in favor of TVK in the Tamil Nadu Assembly?
Going by the absolute number of seats won by parties in the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections, the ruling coalition in Tamil Nadu is likely to consist of:
The official tally in favor of the TVK-Congress party stands at 113 seats and five are still missing. No other political party has yet announced its support for TVK. Here’s what other parties are saying:
“TVK also joined in an attempt to bridge the gap AIADMK Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) general secretary,” Tamil Nadu Congress president K Selvaperunthagai was quoted as saying by ANI on Wednesday.
The support of the AIADMK, which secured 47 seats in the assembly elections, could help the TVK comfortably cross half.
The finalally of the DMK, was yet to take a decision, party sources told PTI on Wednesday. “It will be decided by our party president Thol Thirumavalavan,” said a senior party functionary.
Left parties and IUML ruled out extending support to Vijay’s party, PTI news added. The CPI(M), CPI, and IUML legislators maintained that they would continue to support the DMK.
Despite Vijay’s TVK not having the support of at least 118 MLAs, the actor-turned-politician is likely to hold a swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.
what’s next
Vijay is likely to be sworn in as the Chief Minister even as the Governor’s invitation to form the state government is awaited.
Vijay’s TVK with Congress support is likely to form a minority government; however, he may be required to pass a floor test if required by the governor.
TVK needs the support of only five more MLAs to prove majority in the assembly. The big question is whether he can secure the support of a few more MLAs.
How many cabinet ministers can Tamil Nadu have?
Tamil Nadu, which has 234 seats, can have up to 35 cabinet ministers. The outgoing DMK government had 34 ministers.
