Soon after VCK supported TVK, two Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) parties also supported Vijay’s party.With this, TVK (107) now has the support of Congress (5), CPI (2), CPM (2) and VCK (2), IUML (2), taking its tally to 120, crossing the majority mark of 118.

TVK leader Aadhav Arjun met VCK chief Thirumavalavan in Chennai on Saturday.

For actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay, the days after the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results on May 4 were less about celebration and more about the arithmetic of survival.TVK emerged as the largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member assembly, leaving Vijay far away from the Chief Minister’s chair, but still 10 seats short of the majority mark of 118.What followed was a high-voltage political showdown involving the DMK, AIADMK, Left parties, Congress, VCK and even a late-night visit to the Raj Bhavan.

TVK is immersed in loot

At the center of the uncertainty stood Viduthalai Chiruthigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol Thirumavalavan.While the Congress immediately supported the TVK with five MLAs, the VCK adopted a cautious wait-and-see approach, repeatedly delaying a formal announcement despite intense speculation that it would ultimately support Vijay. That hesitation kept TVK in suspense for nearly five days and forced Vijay’s camp to keep communication channels open with multiple political players simultaneously.

parallel power game

The uncertainty deepened as parallel power games began across Chennai.Soon after the results were declared, senior AIADMK leaders SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam reportedly explored the possibility of engineering support for Vijay by attempting to bring in enough AIADMK MLAs to cross the two-thirds threshold under anti-defection provisions.The proposal reportedly included a demand for seven ministerial posts and one deputy chief ministerial post in a potential TVK-led government.At the same time, another political axis was taking shape.

series of twists

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) reportedly held talks with the DMK leadership to explore the possibility of stopping Vijay from assuming office.The proposal reportedly involved a DMK-backed AIADMK government, an idea that triggered intense backchannel discussions inside the Dravidian ecosystem.As speculations intensified, Palaniswami took immediate steps to prevent any rebellion within his party. AIADMK MLAs were shifted to resorts in Puducherry and cut off from communication in scenes reminiscent of Tamil Nadu’s earlier resort-politics era. The party publicly refused to support TVK “under any circumstances”.Meanwhile, Vijay’s camp remained engaged in continuous talks.Between May 4 and May 6, TVK leaders Busi Anand, Aadhav Arjun and strategist John Arokiasamy reportedly held several rounds of discussions with the Velumani-Shanmugam group. Yet negotiations never came to fruition, especially since Congress had already submitted a letter of support to TVK.However, the real suspense revolved around the DMK alliance partners.

Left supports Vijay

While CPI and CPM gradually moved towards supporting Vijay, the VCK refused to make an immediate commitment. Even as the Left parties on Friday publicly supported TVK, which the CPM described as “backdoor entry to the BJP” through Governor’s rule, Thirumavalavan continued to withhold formal support. That hesitation made Vijay very short.

a big difference

As of Friday night, TVK had the support of 117 MLAs, just one short of the majority mark. Rumors spread that the Indian Union Muslim League would bridge the gap and pave the way for the swearing-in ceremony on Saturday. But IUML initially refused to support TVK, adding new uncertainty to an already volatile situation with late-night drama.Later, AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran met Governor RV Arlekar and sought to invite Palaniswami to form the government. He also alleged that his only MLA was not contacted and accused TVK of horse-trading and later claimed that panic had been spread by forged support letters.Throughout all this, the VCK maintained strategic ambiguity.Even after CPI and CPM came out in favor of Vijay, Thirumavalavan met outgoing Chief Minister MK Stalin at his residence on Friday night, and reportedly discussed an “amicable separation” from the DMK-led alliance. Yet no formal commitment immediately emerged from the VCK camp. However, the deadlock was finally broken on Saturday.Thirumavalavan declared “unconditional support” to TVK, taking Vijay’s tally to a critical 118 points. Soon after, the Tamil Nadu unit of IUML also extended support to the party, effectively ending days of uncertainty over whether Vijay would actually manage to muster enough numbers to stake a claim to form the government.For Vijay, the episode was a formative lesson in coalition-era politics. The actor, who took Tamil Nadu politics by storm with a massive electoral debut, learned that emerging as the largest party was only half the battle.