Demand for re-election in Tamil Nadu as uncertainty grows over Vijay’s government formation

Amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu, Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu has called for fresh elections, saying a stable government may not be possible under the current political situation.

In a post on social media platform X on Thursday (May 7), Vembu said the election results had created an unstable political environment.

“The numbers do not seem to add up. Whatever government is formed may face instability due to different pressures and tensions,” he wrote.

Vembu suggested imposing President’s Rule and holding fresh elections with strict enforcement against vote-buying.

“Tamil Nadu deserves something better. Fresh elections under President’s Rule may be the best option. This time, the ‘no vote for money’ policy must be strictly enforced. Only then will the real public mandate become clear,” he said.

He also claimed that actor-politician Vijay could secure a “super majority” if elections are held again.

“I think Vijay will return with a huge majority. If DMK and AIADMK want to stop him, they should contest together. BJP should also contest alone, even if it wins no seats,” Vembu added.

Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), emerged as the single largest party in the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections by winning 108 seats in the 234-member assembly. However, the party remains short of the 118 seats needed for a majority.

TVK has sought support from Congress, VCK, CPI and CPM to form the government. Congress holds five seats, while the other three parties have two seats each.

The party has also reportedly approached BJP ally PMK, which won four seats in the election.

Meanwhile, TVK representatives are said to have met AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami in Chennai, although AIADMK contested the election in alliance with BJP.

Congress has indicated conditional support for Vijay, saying it would back TVK if the alliance excludes “communal forces” that do not believe in the Constitution. Other parties have not yet formally announced their position.

On Wednesday, Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and staked claim to form the government. However, reports suggest the governor has not yet made a final decision on inviting TVK to form the government.

Political sources say TVK may need another one to two days to secure enough support to cross the majority mark.