Kamal Ghorui
CHENNAI: The unthinkable in Tamil Nadu politics turned probable on Thursday when DMK president M K Stalin reportedly told his party MLAs that AIADMK had been seeking his support to form the govt and checkmate TVK president C Joseph Vijay from becoming chief minister.The legislators left the decision to Stalin, multiple sources told TOI. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, meanwhile, is understood to have sought governor R V Arlekar’s appointment on Friday.Hours before the DMK legislators’ meeting, Stalin was closeted with leaders of VCK, CPI and CPM, whose six MLAs (two each) can fill the five-seat gap that the TVK-Congress combine should fill to cross the 118-mark. The topic of AIADMK outreach came up in this meeting, too, and the DMK allies told Stalin that they would convey their decision on Friday.Earlier on Thursday, governor R V Arlekar had told TVK that it was yet to show the support of majority of MLAs to form the govt. TVK is the single largest party with 108 legislators, while DMK has 59 and AIADMK 47 MLAs in the 234-member assembly.Two independent sources told TOI that the talks started with AIADMK general secretary calling up DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on May 4 evening when TVK emerged winner.The DMK legislature party passed four resolutions, including the one that described as “critical and complex” the situation where no party has got a clear majority. The state is not prepared for another election, it noted. The meeting authorized Stalin to “analyze the situation and take immediate and urgent decisions”.Leaders of DMK allies other than Congress, which moved to the TVK side on Wednesday, have been meeting Stalin for three days. “In Thursday’s meeting, the topic of social media being abuzz with DMK-AIADMK talks came up,” said a source. “The allies said it would be taken into account during their respective party meetings on Friday to decide on the future course of action,” said an alliance party leader.Asked about the possibility of VCK approving a DMK-AIADMK understanding, a senior VCK leader said: “When there is a threat in the name of TVK, why not the AIADMK and DMK join hands to provide a stable govt?”AIADMK legislators continued to be holed up in a resort in Puducherry for the second day AIADMK’s allies PMK (4 seats), AMMK and BJP (1 each) have been lying low.
