TVK chief Vijay meets Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar in connection with securing an invite to form the government, at the Lok Bhavan in Chennai on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
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The political uncertainty prevailing in Tamil Nadu since the day of the Assembly Poll results finally ended on Saturday with C. Joseph Vijay all set to take oath as the Chief Minister at 10:00 am on Sunday at Nehru Stadium.
In his fourth visit in four days, Vijay, this time with leaders of supporting parties the Communists, Congress, VCK, and IUML, met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Saturday to stake claim to form the government.
In a statement, the Governor’s Office said that the Governor has appointed C Joseph Vijay as the CM of Tamil Nadu and invited him to form the Ministry. He also directed the Chief Minister designate to seek a vote of confidence of the Assembly on or before May 13.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) crossed the majority mark with the support of 121 MLAs. The breakthrough came after unconditional support from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
The dramatic developments unfolded through Saturday as the deadline to form the next government was set to expire on Sunday night, following a fractured verdict in the Assembly elections.
The new coalition government brings to an end decades of rule of the State alternatively by the two Dravidian parties – the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
It is unconditional support from outside, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan told presspersons on Saturday, adding it was an unprecedented situation, and the party wanted to do its bit to avoid the imposition of President’s Rule in the State.
Stalin, in a post on X, said his government had developed Tamil Nadu in all sectors during the past five years and expressed hope that the incoming administration would continue the welfare and development schemes introduced by his government.
AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami also congratulated the new party set to form the government, without naming any single party.
TVK had emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats, including the two constituencies won by Vijay himself, but remained short of the 118 required for a majority. This set off a process to stitch together a coalition amid the risk that the State could head towards political instability or even President’s Rule.
Vijay’s elevation also marks the continuation of Tamil Nadu’s long-standing connection between cinema and politics. He is set to become the third actor-turned-politician to serve as Chief Minister after M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa. Former DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi, too, had deep roots in the Tamil film industry as a scriptwriter before entering politics.
Published on May 9, 2026