Tamil Nadu: Calls Grow for Governor to Invite Vijay to Form Government; DMK Holds Key Meeting

New Delhi: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has authorised party chief and outgoing chief minister M.K. Stalin, whose party won 59 seats in the recent Tamil Nadu assembly election, to make decisions that would help form a stable government, say reports.

"Given that Tamil Nadu is not ready for another election, our primary objective is to ensure a stable government is formed in Tamil Nadu. At the same time, we are compelled to consider not giving space to communal forces that would undermine the principles of the Dravidian movement,” the DMK said, as per a report in the Hindu.

The development comes amid the standoff over government formation in Tamil Nadu, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar informing Tamil Vetri Kazhagam chief C. Joseph Vijay on Thursday (May 7) that "requisite majority support in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, essential for forming the Government, has not been established".

The governor's move raised concerns over gubernatorial overreach, as Vijay had staked claim to form the government a day earlier, based on TVK winning 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly, making it the single largest party.

Several outlets reported that Arlekar had asked Vijay to return with the letters of support from 118 MLAs.

Following this, the DMK Legislature Party held a key meeting to decide whether it would support the AIADMK, which won 47 seats in the election, at the latter's request. Reports earlier in the day suggested that the party was discussing the possibility of backing an alternative arrangement.

Vijay's TVK is the only party that has staked claimed to form the next government in Tamil Nadu.

The Congress, which won five seats in the election, ended its over two-decade-long tie with the DMK and extended support to the TVK. The Hindu reported on speculation that the Congress may receive two Cabinet berths if a coalition government is formed.

With Congress’s support, Vijay's tally stands at 113, and his party still needs the backing of at least six more MLAs.

PTI has also reported how, unaware of the cancellation of Vijay's swearing-in ceremony following the governor's decision, TVK supporters arrived at Nehru Stadium in Chennai for his swearing-in ceremony, before leaving disappointed.

Governor's decision widely criticised

In response to Arlekar's decision on Thursday, Congress leader Girish Chodankar said the Governor must invite the single largest party to form the government. He told the media that a majority can only be tested on the assembly floor. He also accused the BJP and RSS of attempting indirect influence despite the BJP having just one MLA in the assembly.

The Constitution is very clear. A majority is proved on the floor of the Legislative Assembly, not at Raj Bhavan. The Governor must respect the mandate given by the people of Tamil Nadu and invite the single largest party to form the government.

Tamil Nadu cannot be ruled… pic.twitter.com/XPwRxgCKJr

— Girish Chodankar (@girishgoaINC) May 7, 2026

Arlekar has been the governor of Kerala since January 2025 and took additional charge of Tamil Nadu on March 12, 2026.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai has called for protests across district headquarters on May 8, alleging that the governor was acting against the constitution by attempting to prevent TVK from forming the government.

The Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) and VCK, which together have six MLAs, are yet to take a final call on extending support to TVK.

CPI's D. Raja wrote on X criticising the Governor’s role in the process, adding that TVK should be invited to form the government and prove its majority on the assembly floor.

The Communist Party of India strongly criticises the dubious role being played by the Governor of Tamil Nadu in the government formation process. It is clear that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly. In a parliamentary democracy,…

— D. Raja (@ComradeDRaja) May 7, 2026

CPI(M) issued a statement Thursday in which it urged the governor to allow TVK party leader to "assume office without delay!" The statement said "the people of Tamil Nadu did not deliver a verdict that gave any single party or alliance an absolute majority to form the government. In this situation, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), with 108 MLAs, has emerged as the single largest party. Accordingly, only the TVK leader, Mr. C. Joseph Vijay, has staked claim to form the government".

TVK party leader must be allowed to assume office without delay!@tncpim urges the Governor of Tamil Nadu!

In the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, the people of Tamil Nadu did not deliver a verdict that gave any single party or alliance an absolute…

— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) May 7, 2026

Many others have criticised the governor's decision. Among them is actor Prakash Raj, who called Arlekar's behaviour disgusting in a post on X.

"This Governor s behaviour is Disgusting .. unacceptable and unconstitutional. We may have differences … but Vijay has got the mandate . He should be allowed to claim his right on the floor of the house.

VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan and the CPI have both called on Arlekar to invite Vijay to form the government in Tamil Nadu.

"Now, the BJP, or Amit Shah and Modi, are interfering in Tamil Nadu politics and creating confusion. TVK has been chosen as the single largest party by the people. Therefore, he should be allowed to take office. That is the guidance provided by the Constitution. Even when he has sought support, the Governor is not making any decision on that and is giving room for confusion here. This is not acceptable. Furthermore, the Governor cannot demand a list of people supporting TVK. He cannot say, 'Who is supporting you? Bring 118 and prove it to me, then come for the swearing-in ceremony'," said Thirumavalavan, according to ANI.

"Whether he has an absolute majority or not should be proved only in the Assembly. He should be allowed to prove it there," he added.

The CPI also released a statement to this affect.

"It is not appropriate for the Governor to insist that TVK prove its majority before the swearing-in ceremony," CPI said in the statement.

Citing Supreme Court rulings, including the SR Bommai case, the CPI Tamil Nadu secretary M. Veerapandiyan said that constitutional conventions and judicial precedents require the governor to provide the TVK an opportunity to establish its majority in the House.

AIADMK's flock

Meanwhile, amidst reports that AIADMK leader C.V. Shanmugam has shifted pro-Vijay MLAs of the party to a resort in Puducherry, allegedly without the consent of party chief Edappadi Karuppa Palaniswami, the party has released a statement claiming such reports are baseless.

Quote-tweeting an NDTV post claiming the above, the AIADMK – which is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Tamil Nadu – said that sections of the media were rumour mongering.

The party said that all its MLAs had met and held a consultative meeting with Palaniswami on Wednesday.

Questioning the intent behind speculative reports, the party asked why certain media organisations were “eager to serve particular agendas” by publishing unverified information.

The AIADMK further stated that media outlets could directly approach the party for clarification if they were genuinely interested in factual reporting. It accused some national media organisations of indulging in “speculative fiction” in the guise of journalism, calling such conduct “wholly unacceptable”.

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