Actor-politician Joseph Vijay on Saturday received the Tamil Nadu governor’s nod to form the government after the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League gave him formal letters of support, helping end a five-day deadlock capped by two consecutive days of drama.
The leader of the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) will be sworn in on Sunday morning. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has given him time till May 13 to prove his majority on the floor of the House, an official release said.
Vijay, who already had formal support from the Congress, CPI and the CPM, now enjoys a clear majority with 120 votes in a 234-member Assembly.
On Friday evening, too, Vijay had claimed the support of the Congress, Left twins, VCK and the IUML and was widely reported to have earned the governor’s invite to form the government. But the IUML and the VCK threw a spanner in the works late at night, denying having extended formal support to Vijay.
The suspense continued on Saturday, too, with Vijay having to turn back and return home while he was halfway to the Governor’s House as Arlekar refused to confirm his
appointment.
However, the governor asked Vijay to come an hour later. At the late-evening meeting, which lasted 90 minutes, he accepted the TVK leader’s claim to form the government.
This time, Arlekar had also invited the leaders of the parties supporting the TVK, apparently to personally verify their letters of support.
The move came against the backdrop of a sensational allegation from T.T.V. Dinakaran, leader of AIADMK ally AMMK, past Friday-Saturday midnight.
Dinakaran had met Arlekar and alleged an attempt by the TVK to forge a consent letter from the AMMK’s sole legislator, Kamaraj.
Although the two-year-old TVK had emerged as the largest single party with 108 seats — which constitutional experts say should have been enough for the governor to invite Vijay to form the government — Arlekar had insisted that he first prove his majority.
The TVK’s effective strength was 107 since Vijay had won two seats but was allowed only one vote in the Assembly. But since he had not resigned either seat, the governor continued to count the Assembly strength as 234 and the majority mark as 118. Effectively, though, it was a House of 233 with 117 votes enough for Vijay to win a trust vote.
The Congress offered the support of its five MLAs to Vijay on Wednesday and persuaded the two Left parties — who have two seats each — to formally back the TVK on Friday, taking Vijay’s vote tally to 116. The VCK and the IUML, too, have two seats each.
All the five smaller parties supporting Vijay had contested the election as part of the DMK-led alliance, which finished second with 73 seats ahead of the 53 won by the AIADMK alliance, which includes the BJP.
A copy of the governor’s order, images of which have been telecast by TV channels, said: “I Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar hereby appoint Thiru. C. Joseph Vijay as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu under Article 164 of the Constitution of India.”
VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, addressing the media alongside CPI state council secretary Veerapandian, said: “In line with the Left parties’ decision, we after intra-party deliberations also decided to support the TVK to avert President’s rule in Tamil Nadu.”
The tenure of the outgoing Assembly ends on Sunday.
Like the two Left parties, the VCK has offered “unconditional (but) outside support”, Thirumavalavan said.
The formal letter of support, signed by the leader of the VCK legislature party, Vanniarasu, was handed over to TVK functionary Adhav Arjuna.
As Vijay’s supporters erupted in celebration, Vanniarasu said his party was keen to have Thirumavalavan appointed deputy chief minister and would discuss the subject with the TVK leadership. He clarified that this was not a precondition for support.
Thirumavalavan said the TVK’s decision to back Vijay had first been shared with DMK president and alliance leader M.K. Stalin. “We continue to be part of the DMK-led (alliance),” he added.
The IUML letter of unconditional support was handed over in the presence of the party’s national president, K.M. Khader Mohideen.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to attend the swearing-in.
Stalin stings Congress
Outgoing chief minister Stalin thanked allies CPI, CPM, VCK and IUML for taking the DMK into confidence on their decision to help the TVK form the government, and to continue to be part of the DMK-led alliance in the state.
Stalin, however, regretted that the Congress had jumped ship within a day of the results and even failed to show the courtesy of calling on the DMK and thank the party for the seats it had won.
In a statesman-like gesture, Stalin wrote a post stressing the need for a smooth and timely transition to a new government.
Referring to the uncertainty of the past two days, he said a meeting of the newly elected DMK legislators had authorised him to take necessary and urgent decisions to ensure that the political instability did not continue.
Puducherry CM
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday appointed N. Rangasamy as the chief minister of Puducherry, according to a government notification.
“The President is pleased to appoint N. Rangasamy as the chief minister of the Union Territory of Puducherry with effect from the date he is sworn in,” the notification from the ministry of home affairs said.
Following the notification, lieutenant governor K. Kailashnathan has invited Rangasamy to form the government, official sources said.
Rangasamy would be sworn in as chief minister on May 13, sources added. Rangasamy is set to assume office as chief minister for a fifth term after the AINRC-led NDA secured a comfortable victory in the Union Territory election held on April 9.
Additional reporting by PTI