Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will give TVK chief C. Joseph Vijay an appointment on Monday, May 11, 2026, to stake his claim to form the next government, according to official sources. The move ends a brief delay after the actor‑turned‑politician’s party emerged as the single largest group in the 234‑member Tamil Nadu Assembly but fell short of a clear majority.
In the recently concluded Assembly elections, Vijay’s two‑year‑old regional outfit, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), won 108 seats, making it the largest bloc while the ruling DMK and the Congress‑led alliance were voted out. With no party crossing the 118‑mark majority threshold, the focus shifted to alliances and the Governor’s role in deciding who would be invited to form the government.
Vijay has already met the Governor twice at Lok Bhavan in Chennai, once on Wednesday and then again on Thursday, submitting letters of support and a list of MLAs said to back the TVK‑Congress alliance. During the Thursday meeting, the Governor reportedly asked Vijay to come back with written proof of at least 118 legislators before any formal invitation could be issued. Subsequently, TVK leaders and Congress functionaries have stated that the alliance has now secured the necessary numbers, leading to the Governor’s decision to call Vijay on Monday to formally invite and enable him to stake his claim.
The Governor’s office has indicated that once Vijay is invited, he will be asked to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly within the constitutional timeframe. Political observers say the formal invitation and the subsequent floor test will determine whether the TVK–Congress alliance can coalesce into a stable government or if the state is pushed towards alternative arrangements or a fresh political negotiation.