Chennai: Tamil Nadu witnessed high political drama on Friday as actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay moved tantalisingly close to the chief minister’s chair, only to fall one MLA short of the magic number by midnight. As per latest news reports, with support pouring in from the Left parties, Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) now commands the backing of 117 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly — just one short of the simple majority mark of 118 needed to form the government. The breakthrough came after the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), with two MLAs each, formally extended support to TVK. The suspense, however, continued as the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), which has two MLAs, had not submitted its official letters of support till late Friday night.

VCK spokesperson K K Pavalan later indicated that the party would hand over support letters on Saturday, potentially taking TVK’s tally to 119 and comfortably past the majority mark. At present, TVK’s strength stands at 108 MLAs, including Vijay’s second winning seat. The party is additionally supported by Congress’s five MLAs, CPI’s two, and CPM’s two legislators. The day saw intense political activity in Chennai. Hours after the Left parties announced support, Vijay met Governor R V Arlekar for the third time since the election results were declared on May 4. Political circles buzzed with speculation that the swearing-in ceremony could happen as early as Saturday, especially amid reports that the two MLAs of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) would also back TVK.

But the late-night twist came when IUML clarified that it would not support Vijay’s party, throwing the numbers game into fresh uncertainty. Explaining CPM’s decision, party secretary P Shanmugam said the move was aimed at preventing the possibility of Governor’s Rule in the state. “It would be like BJP entering Tamil Nadu through the backdoor,” he remarked, while clarifying that CPM would remain outside the cabinet. Meanwhile, the political battle intensified further when T T V Dhinakaran met the Governor and urged him to invite Edappadi K Palaniswami to form the government instead. Speaking outside Lok Bhavan, Dhinakaran sensationally alleged that his party’s lone MLA had gone “missing” and accused TVK of being behind the legislator’s disappearance. As Tamil Nadu waits for the final numbers to fall into place, all eyes are now on Saturday’s developments, which could decide whether Vijay’s dramatic political rise culminates in a historic swearing-in ceremony — or another twist in the state’s fast-changing power game.