Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay may not take oath as Tamil Nadu chief minister tomorrow as Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is not yet convinced the party has the numbers required to form the government, sources said.
The governor has dissolved the assembly.
Earlier in the day, Vijay met the governor and staked claim to form the next government after the TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the assembly elections with 108 seats. The majority mark in the 234-member assembly is 118.
With Congress extending support to the TVK and contributing five seats, the alliance’s tally has risen to 112, leaving it short by six seats. Vijay had won from two constituencies, with one seat excluded from the count.
There is still no clarity on which other parties or independents may support the TVK. The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, which won two seats, is holding internal discussions. The CPI and CPI(M), which won two seats each, have sought time until May 8 to decide their stand.
Speculation has also grown around a possible understanding between the TVK and the AIADMK, which won 47 seats. Sources said at least 30 AIADMK legislators are interested in backing the TVK.
The DMK won 59 seats, PMK secured four, IUML two, while the BJP, DMDK and AMMK won one seat each.
The Congress formally announced support for the TVK on Wednesday, saying it preferred backing a “secular government” over allowing the BJP to gain power in Tamil Nadu. The party also said communal forces should be kept out of the alliance.
The DMK accused Congress of betraying its pre-poll ally. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the move signalled the collapse of the INDIA bloc.
The election result has ended the long-standing dominance of the DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu politics. M. K. Stalin has resigned as chief minister after losing the Kolathur seat to TVK candidate VS Babu.