(Image source from: Ndtv.com)
On Wednesday, the ruling TVK in Tamil Nadu dismissed any speculation that the Communist Party of India (Marxist)—one of the four groups supporting Chief Minister Joseph Vijay—would pull its backing if the AIADMK or any of its branches joined the coalition. TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna made this clear while repeating the party’s offer for the CPM and three other parties—including the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, which added suspense in the week after the election results before confirming its support—to become part of the government. However, Arjuna refrained from discussing specifics about the rumored cabinet expansion, indicating that Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader Vijay would make an announcement soon.
Arjuna, who oversees the Public Works Department and Sports Ministry, also confirmed that the Congress—which has the most seats among TVK's partners with five—was likely to share power.
So far, the CPM, VCK, and the Communist Party of India along with the Indian Union Muslim League, which hold a total of eight seats—two each—have only supported from the outside. "The Chief Minister has repeated the invitation to the CPM, CPI, VCK, and IUML. That is his desire and hope as well," Aadhav stated, specifically mentioning VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan in his invitation. Emphasizing that the TVK would always prioritize social justice, Arjuna alleged that some factions of the DMK and AIADMK head Edappadi K Palaniswami tried to create a coalition to go against the results of the April 23 election. This referred to rumors of a power attempt led by the AIADMK—with help from the DMK—after the state produced a divided outcome. The TVK gained 108 out of 234 seats in the state—10 seats short of a complete majority—leading to a power struggle that included an unlikely alliance between the DMK and AIADMK, two dominant political forces in Tamil Nadu for the last 62 years.
Ultimately, the TVK succeeded with aid from the Congress, VCK, CPM, CPI, and IUML, allowing Vijay to complete his extraordinary journey from cinema to politics and become the first actor to serve as chief minister of Tamil Nadu since the AIADMK's J Jayalalitha over ten years ago. Aadhav claimed that the TVK's partners united to "protect democracy. " Targeting the AIADMK, he suggested that Palaniswami's choices—including reuniting with the BJP despite bad outcomes in prior elections—led to their loss. "AIADMK members understood that forming a partnership with the DMK was a mistake. . . so they chose to support TVK." Referring to the 25 rebellious AIADMK MLAs who defied EPS and voted for the TVK in the recent trust vote, Aadhav mentioned that the group, led by CV Shanmugam, had acted within this political scenario.
"Shanmugam is in charge of the group. . . he is not seeking control," he mentioned, noting that the dissenting AIADMK leader would reveal his future actions at the appropriate time. "The MLAs can decide who they wish to support. " The situation regarding support is sensitive for Vijay's administration. The TVK has 107 MLAs after Vijay left the Trichy (East) seat - one of the two he secured - and holds a total of 120 which includes five from Congress and eight from the VCK, CPI, CPM, and IUML. The threshold for a majority is 118. The narrow gap of just two seats could greatly increase if the dissenting AIADMK members, about 25 in number, join the alliance. From a numerical point of view, even if that leads both Left parties and the VCK to withdraw, the TVK would still have a lead of 19 seats. It is in this context that discussions about cabinet expansion - and Arjuna's statement to clarify TVK's separation from the AIADMK - have taken on significant political meaning in Tamil Nadu.
