May 6 is likely to be remembered as a defining day inTamil Nadu politics, marked by two dramatic developments that are likely to reshape the state’s political landscape for years to come. What initially appeared to be a historic breakthrough foractor-turned-politician Vijayand his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) soon turned into a day of uncertainty and high-stakes political manoeuvring.
Vijay Has 108. Congress Has 5. TVK Needs 118: ‘The Missing Numbers’ Explained
Making its electoral debut, TVK stunned by emerging as the single-largest party with 108 seats in theAssembly elections. However, the party fell short of the majority mark of 118. The situation briefly tilted in Vijay’s favour after the Congress extended support with its five MLAs - a move that came at a major political cost, effectively ending the Congress party’stwo-decade-long alliancewith the DMK, which had remained intact since 2004 and had also contested the 2026 elections together.
Also Read |What Vijay's Rise Teaches DMK, AIADMK And BJP
The Governor’s stand complicated TVK’s numbers further. Though the party officially won 108 seats, its effective tally stands at 107 because Vijay will have to vacate one of the two constituencies from which he emerged victorious. In the resulting 233-member Assembly, the majority mark comes down to 117. Vijay met with the Governor hours after the Congress party declared support and following a meeting between the TVK chief and Congress leaders here. While the TVK appears keen on securing support from the VCK and the two Left parties, who continue to be part of the DMK-led alliance, they have so far not given any positive signals, and Congress's support initially appeared to strengthen TVK’s position, the development also seems to have triggered caution within the NDA camp.
Senior leaders from theAIADMK, which secured 47 seats, along with Anbumani Ramadoss-led PMK (4 seats) and TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK (1 seat), reportedly began distancing themselves from the prospect of backing a Vijay-led government. With the party, late on Wednesday, moved its newly elected MLAs to neighbouring Puducherry.
AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan toldPTIthat the party MLAs had been lodged in Puducherry, but did not disclose the number of legislators shifted to the Union Territory or the reasons behind the move.
The reports surfaced just hours after Congress formally aligned with TVK and severed ties with the DMK. However, neither the DMK nor the AIADMK publicly commented on the speculation.
According to the final tally, TVK won 108 seats, followed by the DMK with 59 and AIADMK with 47. Congress secured 5 seats, PMK 4, IUML 2, CPI 2, CPI(M) 2 and VCK 2. The BJP, DMDK and AMMK won one seat each.
VisitTimes Nowfor theLatest news,India News,Assembly Elections 2026and breaking stories from around theWorld.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
