TVK chief Vijay has staked claim to form the next government in Tamil Nadu following his party's emergence as the single-largest force in the recently concluded assembly elections, meeting Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Monday to formalize his claim. The TVK, which won the highest number of seats, requires at least 10 more to reach the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member assembly.

The Congress, which won five seats, has announced conditional support for the TVK-led government, insisting that 'communal forces' opposed to the Constitution be excluded from the alliance. Despite earlier alliance ties with the DMK, the Tamil Nadu Congress unit exercised its autonomous decision-making authority granted by the central party leadership to back Vijay's government.

DMK leaders, including spokesperson Saravanan Anadurai, condemned the Congress move as a 'betrayal' of Tamil Nadu's electorate and accused it of 'self-destruction' for cabinet positions. The BJP, meanwhile, claimed the Congress's decision marks the collapse of the opposition INDIA bloc, with national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla calling it the 'last rites' of the alliance.

With the DMK winning 59 seats, AIADMK 47, and smaller parties and independents holding the remaining seats, the political calculus hinges on post-poll negotiations. Vijay must now prove his majority on the floor of the assembly, as outgoing Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has already resigned following his defeat in the Kolathur constituency.

The Governor is expected to invite Vijay to form the government, with the assembly session scheduled to convene within the next week for the floor test.