"Post-poll alliances come later, single-largest party TVK should form government first", says DMK's Saravanan Annadura
Chennai, May 7
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai on Thursday said that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, being the single-largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, should be given the first opportunity to form the government in the state.
Speaking to ANI here, Annadurai said constitutional convention and democratic principle favour inviting the single-largest party when no pre-poll alliance secures a majority.
"If there are no pre-poll alliances which would have garnered the majority, then he should go with the single largest party. If the single largest party is not able to garner the majority, then it should go towards the electoral polls with whomever they want. And, if there are going to be any post-poll alliances, then that also will come in fourth place," he said.
Referring to the current political situation in Tamil Nadu, the DMK leader said no alliance had secured a clear majority and no other formation had staked a claim to form the government.
"Now, in the state of Tamil Nadu, no pre-poll alliance has the majority. Nobody else has staked a claim to form the government. But the single largest party, Mr Vijay's TVK, has staked a claim to form the government and met the governor. And they have given the support of 113 MLAs," he said.
Meanwhile, Vijay arrived at the Lok Bhavan to meet Tamil Nadu governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar in Chennai.
TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, winning 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly in its electoral debut. The Congress party has formally extended support to TVK, ending its alliance with the DMK to back Vijay's bid to form the next government.
Senior advocate and Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi also backed TVK's claim, saying the Governor had "no alternative" but to invite the single-largest party to form the government.
"The shortage is barely 7-8 seats, plus the Governor will always be stipulating that the floor of the house will prove the majority in 10-12 days," Singhvi said.
TVK's performance significantly altered Tamil Nadu's political landscape, reducing the DMK to 59 seats and the AIADMK to 47 seats, effectively ending the decades-long dominance of the two Dravidian parties.
However, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has ruled out support to TVK. AIADMK Deputy Coordinator KP Munusamy said the party would not support Vijay "whatever the situation is."
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is fascinating to watch from an outsider's perspective. Tamil Nadu's politics has always been unique, and seeing a superstar's political debut reshape the entire landscape is remarkable. Vijay's TVK has truly changed the game - 108 seats in their first try is unprecedented.
While I appreciate the constitutional argument, we need to be careful. Just because TVK is the single-largest party doesn't automatically mean they have a mandate. They're still 5 seats short of majority. Let them prove their numbers on the floor of the House first. That's real democracy.
Congress supporting TVK while leaving DMK is a big political move. Congress knows which way the wind is blowing. The Dravidian duopoly is finally breaking after decades - this is historic for Tamil Nadu politics. 👏
DMK's argument makes sense constitutionally but they're being hypocritical here. Didn't they form government in 2021 despite not having pre-poll majority? Now suddenly they want to change the rules? 🙄 TVK has 113 MLAs supporting them, let them try to form government.
One concern - Vijay is a movie star with no governance experience. Jumping from cinema to CM office is a steep learning curve. Hope he has capable people around him. But yes, democratically, TVK deserves the first chance. Let's see if they can handle the responsibility.
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