Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, May 8: Vijay is scheduled to meet R N Ravi Arlekar at 4.30 pm on Friday in a fresh attempt to resolve the ongoing deadlock over the formation of the next government in Tamil Nadu.

This will be the third meeting between the two leaders in as many days after the Governor reportedly rejected Vijay’s earlier claim to form the government, citing lack of adequate support in the Assembly.

Sources indicated that Vijay may now have secured the required numbers, with support from five MLAs of the Indian National Congress and two legislators each from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India, taking the tally beyond the majority mark of 118 seats.

Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam had scripted a historic debut in the recently concluded Assembly elections by winning 108 of the 234 seats, ending the 62-year dominance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the state.

However, the party fell 10 seats short of a majority.

During Thursday’s meeting, Governor Arlekar reportedly questioned Vijay on how he planned to run a government with only 113 MLAs and sought clarity on which parties were prepared to extend support.

Sources said Vijay’s responses did not fully convince the Governor, prolonging uncertainty over the formation of the new government.

Soon after the election results, the Congress extended support to the TVK on the condition that the party would not align with “communal forces”, an apparent reference to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Political attention has now shifted to the stand of the VCK and the two Left parties, all of whom had contested the election in alliance with the DMK.