CHENNAI —On the evening of May 8, what began as an expected constitutional meeting for actor-turned-politician Vijay with the Governor to stake claim to form the government quickly turned into one of the biggest political dramas Tamil Nadu has witnessed in recent years.
As of early Saturday morning, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar had not invited Vijay, whose Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam won 108 seats in the 2026 state election and emerged as the single largest bloc in the 234-member Assembly, to take the oath of office.
An 11 a.m. swearing-in ceremony that TVK and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders had publicly announced appeared to have been suspended.
The night’s events began with confidence. Vijay met the Governor at Raj Bhavan on Friday evening for the third time, accompanied by party colleagues, the producer of his latest film Jananayagan, and an Andhra mining baron, submitting a formal letter claiming the support of 121 legislators, three above the majority threshold.
According to documents obtained by Jaffna Monitor, the claimed support was drawn from TVK’s 108 seats and six coalition partners: the Indian National Congress (5), the Communist Party of India (2), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (2), the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (2), the Indian Union Muslim League (1), and the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (1).
The submission did not immediately produce an invitation to govern. Sources familiar with the proceedings said the Governor’s office found verifiable documentation for only approximately 116 legislators, not the 118 required for a majority.
Signed letters from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League were either incomplete or remained unverified. The Indian Union Muslim League publicly stated after Vijay’s meeting with the Governor that it had not extended support to TVK.
A Forgery Allegation, Then the MLA
Within an hour of Vijay’s departure from Raj Bhavan, T.T.V. Dhinakaran, general secretary of the AMMK, arrived at the Governor’s residence and submitted a rival letter. He alleged that TVK had presented a forged document, purportedly bearing the signature of AMMK’s sole legislator, S. Kamaraj of Mannarkudi, as evidence of coalition support.
Dhinakaran told reporters he had initially been unable to reach Kamaraj by telephone, which had heightened his suspicion of political pressure. He said Kamaraj had in fact signed a letter pledging support to AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, not to Vijay, and that he would file a criminal complaint that night.
The allegation grew more serious when Dhinakaran returned to Raj Bhavan a second time, accompanied by Kamaraj himself. The legislator reportedly told the Governor directly that he had not provided any support letter to TVK.
If the forgery allegation is substantiated, it could expose TVK functionaries to criminal charges before a government has even been formed.
TVK Releases Video
Shortly before midnight, TVK issued a counter-statement accompanied by video footage that the party said showed Kamaraj voluntarily writing a support letter for TVK inside a car. The party stated that Kamaraj had said he was extending support with Dhinakaran’s own approval, and accused Dhinakaran of spreading false information.
CPI(M) Accuses DMK of Exploring AIADMK Path to Block Vijay
The clearest public indication of the broader political struggle emerged from M.A. Baby, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), who told India Today that the DMK had sought to persuade Vijay’s allies to support an AIADMK-led government instead.
“The DMK wished for us to support that government,” Mr. Baby said. “But AIADMK was defeated in the elections. DMK was also defeated. We were part of the DMK alliance; we also lost. We are not forming the government now. We are only extending support to the single largest party.”
Mr. Baby went further, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of actively attempting to block Vijay’s ascent.
“The BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are trying to prevent the single largest party from coming to power,” he said.
Mr. Baby made clear that the Left would not support any arrangement that returned the AIADMK, a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance, to power.
“We are not saying that we are going to oppose DMK,” he said. “But we cannot accept the political line to support AIADMK, which was a part of the NDA.”
Coalition Gaps and Unresolved Negotiations
The AMMK dispute was not the only obstacle to Vijay’s majority claim. Negotiations with V.C.K. chief Thol. Thirumavalavan, whose party holds two seats, remained unresolved as of early Saturday. Multiple sources said Mr. Thirumavalavan was conditioning formal written support on a guarantee of the deputy chief minister’s post. TVK had not publicly agreed to that demand, and no written letter from the V.C.K. had reached the Governor’s office by Saturday midnight, according to sources familiar with the proceedings. The V.C.K. also officially announced that Mr. Thirumavalavan would declare the party’s final decision by Saturday morning.
The swearing-in that TVK had scheduled for Saturday morning had not been confirmed as of this report. The Governor had not spoken publicly.
