In a watershed moment for Tamil Nadu politics, actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay is set to take oath as the new chief minister, ending days of uncertainty over government formation in the southern state.
Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which emerged with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly — 10 short of the majority mark — managed to gather backing from multiple parties in the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance over the past few days.
Support eventually came from four MLAs belonging to Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). Earlier, the Congress, CPI, and CPI-M had also extended support to Vijay’s party. All these parties were members of the DMK-led bloc.
Meanwhile, DMK spokesperson A. Saravanan claimed that party chief M. K. Stalin personally encouraged alliance partners to support TVK in order to avoid a constitutional crisis in the state.
"Congratulations to the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Vijay. He is able to become the chief minister with the help of DMK allies. Our leader MK Stalin does not want a constitutional crisis and he persuaded allies (to join hands with the TVK) after extensive consultations," Saravanan said.
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However, the DMK also expressed displeasure with Congress for switching sides immediately after the election results without consulting alliance partners. Saravanan argued that Congress had won its five seats largely due to the groundwork laid by DMK cadres
Notably, Saravanan had earlier described Congress as “backstabers” when the party decided to switch the alliance and decided to support TVK.
Why Stalin encouraged allies
Stalin’s apparent approval for allies to support Vijay is being viewed as a tactical move, with the DMK seemingly keen to avoid another election in the immediate future.
Political observers have drawn parallels between Vijay’s approach and the strategy adopted by Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi in 2013. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats in the 70-member Assembly, formed a minority government with outside support from the Congress.
That government, however, lasted only two months before resigning after opposition parties blocked the Lokpal anti-corruption bill in the Assembly. Delhi was subsequently placed under President’s Rule, and fresh elections in 2015 saw AAP sweep to power with 67 of 70 seats.
Reports suggest Vijay may be attempting a similar political strategy in Tamil Nadu by insisting that he would accept only “unconditional” support from other parties.