Anger over Tamil Nadu's prolonged government formation deadlock spilled onto the streets of Chennai on Friday as supporters of actor-turned-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam staged protests outside the the official residence of Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and were subsequently detained by police.
In a video posted by ANI, a TVK supporter is seen pressing himself against the bonnet of what appears to be an official vehicle outside Lok Bhavan, refusing to move as a crowd of journalists and onlookers surrounded him.
The protester's defiance was short-lived — police personnel moved in swiftly and physically removed him from the spot, bundling him away as cameras rolled. The 75-second clip, captured the palpable frustration brewing among TVK's grassroots base over what they see as a constitutional injustice.
#WATCH | Chennai | A TVK supporter lodges his protest against the Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar outside the Lok Bhavan in Chennai for not inviting TVK Chief Vijay to form the next government despite his party emerging as the single-largest formation in the… pic.twitter.com/9HE4pSpeaQ
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2026
The demonstration came on the fifth day since election results declared TVK the single-largest party in Tamil Nadu's 234-seat Assembly with 108 seats — a historic upset that ended six decades of alternating DMK-AIADMK rules.
Yet Arlekar has declined to invite Vijay to form the government, instead asking the party to first demonstrate the support of 118 MLAs — the number required for a clear majority in the House.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, which has backed the TVK with its five MLAs and taken its tally to 113, announced statewide protests on Friday, accusing the BJP-led Union government and the governor of acting against the Constitution by denying Vijay the invitation to form the government despite TVK emerging as the largest single formation.
ALSO READ: DMK-AIADMK Alliance On Cards? Vijay's TVK To Ask All 107 MLAs To Resign If Rivals Unite: Report
Constitutional experts have argued that the governor should have simply invited Vijay to attempt government formation and prove his majority on the floor of the House — the route endorsed by multiple Supreme Court precedents, including the landmark Bommai case. Instead, the ongoing delay has fuelled a growing narrative among TVK supporters that the establishment is conspiring to deny their mandate.
Congress leader Anand Srinivasan warned that any attempt to block the superstar would backfire. "Anything these people are going to do is only going to make him more popular," he said.
Friday's detentions are unlikely to be the last. With the AIADMK reportedly housing nearly 28 of its 47 MLAs at a Puducherry resort, the DMK having granted MK Stalin blanket authority to take "urgent political decisions", and the TVK threatening a mass resignation of its 107 MLAs if bypassed, the political temperature in Tamil Nadu shows no sign of cooling.
ALSO READ: Left Parties Mock Vijay-Led TVK's 'WhatsApp Outreach' To Reach Majority Mark In Tamil Nadu
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