Zoho founder and prominent tech entrepreneur Sridhar Vembu on Thursday called for President's Rule and fresh elections in Tamil Nadu, arguing that no stable government can be formed from the current fractured mandate.
He also predicted that actor-turned-politician Vijay would sweep back with a super majority if a free and fair re-election is held.
Tamil Nadu's Monday election results produced a hung assembly for the first time in the state's history, with no party or alliance winning an outright majority.
Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single largest party, winning 108 seats — ten short of the 118 seats needed for a simple majority.
The incumbent DMK's Secular Progressive Alliance was reduced to 73 seats, with the DMK itself winning 59.
In a post on X, Vembu said the arithmetic simply does not work. "The numbers don't seem to add up. Whatever government is cobbled together is likely to be unstable with various pulls and pressures. Tamil Nadu deserves better," he wrote.
His solution: impose President's Rule and go back to the voters — but this time with tighter controls on vote-buying.
"President's rule with fresh elections may be the best course, this time with a very strict 'no cash for votes' enforcement. Then we will see who has the real mandate," Vembu said.
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He expressed strong confidence that Vijay's TVK would dominate in a cleaner contest. "I think the TVK will come back with a super majority and if the DMK-AIADMK want to stop that, let them fight together," he wrote, adding that the BJP should not seek any alliances.
"The BJP should fight alone, even if it leads to zero seats — time for a fresh start for the BJP in TN."
"Let the people decide afresh," he added.
The numbers don't seem to add up. Whatever government is cobbled together is likely to be unstable with various pulls and pressures. Tamil Nadu deserves better.
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) May 7, 2026
President's rule with fresh elections may be the best course, this time with a very strict "no cash for votes"…
ALSO READ: TVK Faces Big Hurdle: AIADMK Rules Out Support To Vijay 'Under Any Situation'
With TVK short of a majority, possible paths to government include alliances with Congress, Left parties, and smaller outfits, or attempting a fragile minority government — all options Vembu clearly views as recipes for instability.
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