The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) on Friday said it will announce its final decision on whether to support the actor Vijay-led TVK on Saturday after further discussions.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder Thol Thirumavalavan said the party's high-level committee will meet via video conferencing at 5 pm on Friday to discuss the prevailing "political crisis" in Tamil Nadu and decide on the party's future course of action regarding government formation.
"The results were declared only on May 4, and today is May 8. It is not a delay. In a democratic setup, it is my duty and responsibility to consult with frontline leaders and respect their sentiments before taking any major decision," Thirumavalavan said.
When asked about the possibility of the VCK supporting an AIADMK-led initiative to form the government, Thirumavalavan refused to give a direct answer, terming such scenarios "hypothetical".
"It would not be right for me to express a personal opinion before knowing what my comrades think. We will discuss the current political exigencies in the 5 pm meeting today. I will formally address the press tomorrow morning to announce our official stand," he stated.
The VCK is part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), and the Congress has already broken ties with the DMK to support the TVK.
Will VCK abandon DMK?
The VCK leader maintained that the party remains part of the DMK alliance. When asked whether the VCK would support an alternative front if it were given a share in power—a long-standing demand of the party—Thirumavalavan reiterated that he would not engage in speculation.
"You are asking questions based on assumptions. Once we deliberate with our core committee, you may raise these questions based on our decided position," he added.
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Thirumavalavan had on Thursday said that his party received a request from the TVK for support and that its high-level committee will decide whether to support the Vijay-led party to form the government.
"We received the request letter from the TVK. We are thankful for that. We have not ignored his (Vijay's) request. We have a procedure. Therefore, our party's high-level committee will decide soon. We are going to discuss the merits and demerits of our position," he had said.
Thirumavalavan had ambitions
It may be noted that Thirumavalavan decided against contesting from the Kattumannarkoil constituency at the last minute after having announced his decision to make a return to state politics. There were speculations that the Chidambaram MP decided to enter the poll fray keeping in mind a possible hung Assembly scenario in Tamil Nadu. However, he decided not to contest later as the question of "power hunger" was thrown at him from many quarters.
“The opinion that I am contesting the election anticipating a hung Assembly is wrong. It insults my intention. Hence, I am changing my strategy,” he said.
The Lok Sabha MP has also batted for the TN Governor to invite Vijay to form a government, as the TVK is the single largest party.
Vijay's TVK won the April 23 Assembly polls in the state with 108 seats but fell short of the majority number by 10, prompting it to reach out to the Left parties, besides the VCK, seeking their support to form a government. Vijay will have to resign from one of the two constituencies he has won. Although the Congress party, which has five MLAs, has extended support to the TVK—which emerged as the single largest party—the actor-politician-led party was still short of the required seats to touch the magic number of 118, the majority mark in the 234-member House.
