Vijay Claims Majority Before Governor, Left Will Not Be In TVK Cabinet

Superstar Vijay has claimed a majority before the governor, appearing set to head the first-ever coalition government in Tamil Nadu. His Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party apparently has the support of 118 MLAs, the exact strength needed to form government in the state, sources say, adding that the oath ceremony will be held at 11 am tomorrow.

While several smaller parties in the state have already backed Vijay, confusion still persists on the VCK's stand. Vijay is currently on his way to meet VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan.

Among other outfits, the Congress and the Left parties have already offered conditional support to the TVK.

While the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) have decided to stay out of the cabinet, sources said the Congress expects two ministerial berths in the next government.

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"If the government is not formed by 10th May, Governor's rule will be imposed. In Tamil Nadu, Governor's rule is like the BJP entering through back door. To stop this, CPI and CPI(M) have decided to support TVK. We will not be in the cabinet. Just to ensure there is no re-election, we took this decision," CPI(M) state secretary TT Shanmugam told reporters today. 

The CPI and CPM—having two MLAs each—had been DMK allies and were given a free hand by DMK chief MK Stalin to decide on their alliances based on their political interests.

Besides, Vijay had also claimed the support of one of the two IUML MLAs and the lone winning candidate of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), led by politician TTV Dhinakaran.

Read: 'Thalapathy' Vijay Wins Again. TVK Crosses 118-Mark With VCK, Left Support

On its own, the TVK had won 108 seats in the Tamil Nadu elections, while the DMK was reduced to just 59 and the AIADMK could win only 47 seats.