Chennai, May 9 (IANS) Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C. Joseph Vijay on Saturday moved closer to becoming the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after securing the support of 120 MLAs, comfortably crossing the majority mark required to form the government in the 234-member Assembly.

The latest boost to TVK came after the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) formally extended support to Vijay. IUML legislative party leader SSB Syed Farook Basha and deputy leader A.M. Shahjahan submitted a signed letter to Governor-in-charge Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar expressing the party’s support for the TVK-led government.

Earlier, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) also announced its support to TVK, paving the way for Vijay to consolidate the numbers needed to stake a claim before the Governor.

According to the latest tally, TVK has the backing of 120 MLAs, including 107 from TVK, five from the Congress, two each from the CPI, CPI(M), VCK, and IUML.

Tamil Nadu went to the polls for all 234 Assembly constituencies in a single phase on April 23. The election witnessed a fierce four-cornered contest involving the DMK, AIADMK, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), and TVK.

The results declared on May 4 saw TVK emerge as the single-largest party with 108 seats. However, after Vijay decided to retain only one of the two seats he had won, the party’s effective strength came down to 107.

Following the results, hectic political activity unfolded in Chennai, with TVK opening channels of communication with several parties to gather support for government formation.

The CPI and CPI(M) were among the first parties to publicly extend support to Vijay, followed by the Congress. With VCK and IUML now joining the alliance, Vijay has comfortably crossed the halfway mark required to form the government.

Sources said Vijay sought an urgent appointment with Governor Arlekar before the latter’s scheduled departure to Kerala. The TVK leadership is expected to submit letters of support from allied parties while formally staking a claim to form the government.

TVK general secretary Aadhav Arjuna later told reporters that Vijay would soon take oath as the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, as celebrations erupted among party cadres across the state.

–IANS

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