TVK threatens mass resignation of 107 MLAs if DMK or AIADMK form government without Vijay

Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as Tamil Nadu's single-largest party. It has 108 seats. And it may still not form the government. Now, the party is signalling its most drastic response yet, a mass resignation of all 107 of its MLAs.

Party sources told India Today on Thursday that the TVK is considering the move if either MK Stalin's DMK or Edappadi K Palaniswami's AIADMK proceeds to form the government, bypassing the party that won the most seats in the April 23 Assembly polls. The warning has not been officially articulated by Vijay himself, but it reflects mounting frustration within the camp as post-poll negotiations drag on with no resolution in sight.

What triggered the threat

The immediate trigger was a development a day earlier, reports that the DMK had opened backchannel talks with its long-standing rival, the AIADMK, in what TVK leadership believes is a coordinated attempt to keep Vijay from taking office. The DMK won 59 seats in the elections; the AIADMK managed 47. Neither has the numbers to form an independent government.

TVK leaders see the reported alignment between the two Dravidian majors as a political stitch-up designed to deny power to the party with the largest mandate. "The mandate is fractured, but the largest party cannot be ignored," a senior TVK functionary said.

The numbers and what they mean

The TVK's arithmetic is tight. The party won 108 seats, but with Vijay constitutionally required to vacate one of the two seats he won, its effective strength stands at 107 MLAs. Congress adds five more, taking the combined tally to 112, still six short of the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member House.

To bridge that gap, the TVK has been reaching out to DMK allies, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the Left parties and the Indian Union Muslim League. A firm commitment from any of them has not yet materialised, leaving the party in a position where it holds the most seats but cannot yet claim the floor.