Vijay Falling Short Of Numbers, 30 AIADMK MLAs Raring To 'Help'

The article notes the AIADMK-BJP relationship has been on and off; ties had broken earlier when the AIADMK called the BJP a liability in south politics, but the party renewed ties with the BJP ahead of this year's election.

The Congress formally extended support to TVK after a meeting late the previous evening, with the condition that the alliance be secular; the party is expected to receive two cabinet berths—more than it ever got during its alliance with the DMK.

In the 234-seat Tamil Nadu Assembly, the DMK won 59 seats, AIADMK 47, PMK 4, IUML 2, CPI 2, CPI(M) 2, and the BJP, DMDK, and AMMK each won one seat.

NDTV reported that Vijay may not take oath tomorrow as the Governor is not convinced that his party has the numbers; the doubt followed Vijay's meeting with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to stake claim as the single largest party.

The Congress has five MLAs, while the Left, IUML and the VCK together have six MLAs; this brings the total to 117, which the report describes as the exact majority mark.

TVK currently has 108 seats. Its effective strength is 106 since Vijay, who holds two seats, will have to quit one, and the Speaker's seat cannot be counted in case a trust vote is needed; the Speaker can only vote in a tie.

The article states that around 30 of AIADMK's 47 MLAs are in favour of joining hands with Vijay, but party chief E Palaniswami is reluctant to commit to backing him.

TVK currently has 108 seats, but its effective strength is 106 since Vijay holds two seats and the Speaker's seat cannot be counted in a trust vote. The Congress has five MLAs and Left/IUML/VCK together have six MLAs. Thus 106 + 5 + 6 = 117, the exact majority mark.

Vijay met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to stake claim as the single largest party. NDTV sources said the Governor is not convinced Vijay has the required numbers, making an oath uncertain for tomorrow.

The Congress formally extended support to TVK after a meeting late last evening, conditioning the alliance on secularism and forecasting two cabinet berths for Congress members.

Sources say around 30 of AIADMK's 47 MLAs are in favour of joining Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK); party chief E Palaniswami is reluctant to extend support. Senior AIADMK official KP Munusamy told reporters, 'Whatever the situation is, AIADMK will not support TVK.'