Kamal Haasan on Thursday strongly supported C Joseph Vijay’s bid to form the next government in Tamil Nadu, saying refusing to invite the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief would amount to ignoring the people’s mandate.
In a sharply worded statement posted on social media, the Makkal Needhi Maiyam founder described the current political situation in Tamil Nadu as unprecedented, noting that no single party had secured a full majority in the Assembly elections.
Haasan said constitutional authorities must respect democratic principles and allow the single-largest party to attempt government formation through a floor test in the Assembly.
Referring to TVK’s electoral performance, he pointed out that Vijay’s party had emerged with 108 seats and argued that preventing the party from staking claim would undermine the public verdict.
Haasan also expressed concern that newly elected MLAs were still unable to take oath because of the continuing political uncertainty, calling the delay harmful to democratic functioning in the state.
Quoting the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in the S. R. Bommai case, Haasan said majority must be tested on the Assembly floor and not decided elsewhere.
The actor-politician also praised outgoing Chief Minister M. K. Stalin for publicly accepting the election verdict and agreeing to sit in the opposition.
Meanwhile, Vijay continued efforts to secure support for government formation and met Governor R. V. Arlekar for the second time in two days at Lok Bhavan in Chennai.
TVK has reportedly claimed the support of Congress MLAs, taking its alliance tally to 112 seats in the 234-member Assembly, still short of the majority mark of 118.
Several opposition leaders and parties, including Thol Thirumavalavan and the Tamil Nadu unit of the Communist Party of India, have also publicly urged the Governor to invite Vijay to prove his majority on the floor of the House.
The election outcome has dramatically altered Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, ending the decades-long dominance of the DMK-AIADMK power structure and placing TVK at the centre of an intense government formation battle.
