Kamal Ghorui
CHENNAI: Senior AIADMK leader Thambidurai has indicated confidence in Edappadi K Palaniswami’s return to power in Tamil Nadu, as political negotiations intensify following a fractured mandate in the state assembly elections. After meeting EPS in Chennai on Friday, Thambidurai said, “Wait and see. Edappadiyar is going to be the next CM, and he will deliver good governance,” signalling the party’s push to stitch together a post-poll alliance. “The people’s sentiment was clearly in favour of our leader returning to power, as we saw during his campaigns. With God’s grace, it will happen at an appropriate time,” he added further. The remarks come amid a fluid political situation in Tamil Nadu, where smaller parties have emerged as key players in government formation talks following a hung verdict in the 234-member Assembly. Actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which won 108 seats, has reshaped the political arithmetic. The Congress has extended support with its five seats, taking the emerging bloc to 113. Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India, both with two MLAs each, are separately holding executive meetings to decide their next course of action. Their support could take the TVK-led grouping to 117 seats — just one short of the majority mark of 118. CPI(M) leader P Shanmugam said the party had received a formal communication from TVK chief Vijay. “TVK Chief sent a letter to our party. Our State Committee meeting will be held tomorrow morning; we will make our decision in it,” he said. He added, “According to the Constitution, it is TVK that should be allowed to form the government. We have never seen a situation like this in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, and now we have a hung Assembly. It is the Governor who should invite Vijay to form the government because he is leading,” Shanmugam said. Meanwhile, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), previously part of the DMK alliance and holding two seats, is also set to convene a high-level meeting to decide its stance. If CPI(M), CPI, VCK and Congress formally back TVK, the alliance would cross the majority threshold. At the same time, AIADMK, the third-largest party with 47 seats, has intensified internal consultations as its leaders continue to meet general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami to explore alliance options. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also scheduled to hold a review meeting on the election outcome under state president Nainar Nagendran at its headquarters in Chennai. The series of meetings reflects the high-stakes negotiations underway after a hung Assembly verdict left government formation dependent on post-poll alliances.
