Tamil Nadu Govt Formation Battle: Political Commentator S Gurumurthy Says Congress ‘Poorly Advised’ Vijay

S Gurumurthy said Vijay was “poorly advised” by Congress, claiming TVK’s coalition approach complicated government formation.

Gurumurthy argues Vijay's initial position as the single-largest party in the Assembly elections was constitutionally stronger.

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Gurumurthy: Vijay should have claimed leadership as single largest party.
• Congress advised Vijay to present post-poll arrangement as coalition.
• Governor was in difficult position due to conflicting documentation.
• Immature advice led to deadlock and prolonged political stalemate.

Political commentator S. Gurumurthy has claimed that C Joseph Vijay was “poorly advised” during his bid to form the government in Tamil Nadu, arguing that the actor-turned-politician should have approached the Governor solely as leader of the single-largest party rather than as head of a post-poll coalition. Speaking to NDTV amid the continuing uncertainty over government formation in the state, Gurumurthy said the strategic decision complicated what could otherwise have been a straightforward constitutional claim.

‘Single Largest Party Claim Was Stronger’: Gurumurthy

According to Gurumurthy, Vijay initially had a stronger constitutional position after Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single-largest party in the Assembly elections.

He argued that the support extended by Left parties was unconditional and should not have altered the nature of TVK’s claim. However, he alleged that the Congress advised Vijay to submit documents presenting the arrangement as a coalition, which changed the technical basis of the request before Governor Rajendra Arlekar.

Gurumurthy said Vijay had initially been encouraged by senior leaders to seek an invitation to form the government strictly as leader of the largest party. According to him, such an approach would have left little room for constitutional ambiguity.

Instead, he claimed, the coalition-based presentation prompted the Governor to seek additional proof of majority support.

Governor Put In Difficult Position, Says Analyst

Gurumurthy maintained that the Governor’s actions were technically justified under the circumstances and argued that the political handling of the numbers created confusion.

He pointed out that Vijay’s covering letter reportedly claimed support from 120 MLAs, while the accompanying documents reflected backing from only 116 legislators. In the effective House strength, excluding BJP members, Gurumurthy described the situation as an unusual tie that complicated the Governor’s assessment.

According to him, the Governor could not openly accuse parties of horse-trading but was compelled to insist on formal letters establishing majority support before proceeding further.

He also suggested that the Congress preferred a coalition format because it wanted the proposed arrangement to be viewed as a joint government rather than a TVK-led administration with outside backing.

‘Petty And Immature Advice Created Deadlock’

Calling the political advice given to Vijay “petty and immature,” Gurumurthy said the developments had pushed Tamil Nadu into a prolonged political stalemate.

He cited the example of parties publicly announcing support for TVK while allegedly delaying or withholding formal letters. Referring to the stance of the Indian Union Muslim League, he said the contradictory signals created uncertainty around the stability of the proposed alliance.

Despite the ongoing confusion, Gurumurthy expressed confidence that Vijay would eventually become chief minister, pointing to continued support from parties such as the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).