Vijay's TVK Wins Tamil Nadu 2026: Congress Demands 2 Cabinet Seats as Actor-Turned-Chief-Minister Prepares Oath

06 May 2026

Tamil Nadu Election Results 2026 have done something nobody quite expected. Not on this scale, anyway.

Vijay, the actor whose fan base spans school corridors and government offices alike, has just made Tamil Nadu political history. His party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), walked away from the April 23 assembly elections with 108 seats in a 234-member house. That is the single largest seat tally by any party. And yet, it is not a majority. The magic number is 118. Vijay falls 10 short.

That gap is now the most consequential 10 in Tamil Nadu politics right now.

And into that gap, Congress has stepped.

Congress Backs TVK: What the Party Actually Wants

Congress contested the 2026 elections as part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance. That alliance had the full weight of Rahul Gandhi's name and a working government behind it. It still managed only 5 seats. Five. For Congress, that is almost humbling.

Congress, which secured five seats in the 2026 assembly election, is expected to seek two Cabinet positions along with chairmanships of select government boards as part of the support arrangement with TVK.

Two Cabinet berths for five seats. That is actually a strong negotiating outcome for a party that came into these results looking almost irrelevant.

But here is the thing worth pausing on. The AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, acknowledged that the Congress leadership's decision to stick with the DMK-led alliance went against strong grassroots sentiment. Local leaders had reportedly suggested that if Rahul Gandhi joined Vijay's campaign, they could have swept closer to 180 to 190 seats. They did not. And now Congress is approaching TVK from the outside.

That is a quiet but significant admission of a missed opportunity.

What Happened to DMK and MK Stalin

The DMK's fall is just as dramatic as TVK's rise. The DMK's Secular Progressive Alliance was reduced to 73 seats, 59 of which belonged to the DMK itself. Outgoing Chief Minister MK Stalin lost from the Kolathur constituency, becoming only the second incumbent Chief Minister in the state's history to lose an assembly election.

Stalin resigned Tuesday evening. Though the governor accepted the resignation, Stalin was requested to continue as caretaker Chief Minister until alternative arrangements are in place.

The AIADMK, under Edappadi K Palaniswami, secured 47 seats. There is even talk of the AIADMK providing outside support to TVK for government stability, though nothing formal has been announced.

The Government Formation Picture Right Now

TVK has three broad options in front of it.

The most straightforward path involves bringing in smaller parties that were previously aligned with the DMK or AIADMK ecosystems, including Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), and IUML. This approach reflects a pragmatic, issue-based coalition strategy, offering cabinet representation to all supporting partners to ensure stability despite the fragile majority arithmetic.

A second path involves only Congress and a few smaller parties. A third, and politically interesting, option is securing outside support from the AIADMK without a formal coalition, keeping the cabinet lean.

An AIADMK MLA-elect claimed that the party's general secretary, Edappadi K Palaniswami, was in active talks to provide support to TVK to form a stable government.

Whatever the final shape of the alliance, Vijay's oath-taking is already scheduled.

Vijay's Swearing-In: May 7 at Nehru Indoor Stadium

TVK leadership is finalising Cabinet formation and alliance terms with Congress and other regional parties. Vijay is set to be sworn in as Chief Minister on May 7. The swearing-in will be held at Nehru Indoor Stadium, with over 5,000 people invited to the ceremony. The TVK has arranged accommodation for its MLA-elects in a resort in Mamallapuram ahead of the oath-taking.

The Vijay oath-taking ceremony is expected to be significant, drawing political figures and supporters from across the state. Vijay himself, after the results, described the outcome as a miracle that shook Indian politics. He also thanked PM Narendra Modi for his congratulatory message, signalling a desire to maintain workable central relations.

Why This Election Result Is Historically Unusual

The election resulted in a hung assembly for the first time in Tamil Nadu's history, with no party or alliance achieving an absolute majority. Tamil Nadu has had decades of two-party dominance, swinging between DMK and AIADMK like clockwork. TVK, in its first-ever election, broke that rhythm entirely.

TVK becoming the single largest party in both seat share and popular vote in a hung assembly is the first such feat by an actor-turned-politician in Tamil Nadu since 1977, when MG Ramachandran achieved something comparable.

That historical parallel is not lost on anyone watching.

What Common Voters Are Actually Asking

TVK's manifesto spoke directly to young people. The party promised a drug-free state, job assurance to youth, collateral-free education and startup loans, and monthly financial assistance to students. These were not abstract ideas. They were specific, tangible promises to a demographic that felt unaddressed by the incumbent government.

Whether a TVK cabinet, possibly including Congress ministers, can actually deliver on these is the real test ahead.

Closing Thoughts

What happened in Tamil Nadu on April 23 is still settling. A film star walked into a deeply entrenched political landscape and, without any pre-election alliance, pulled off a result that nobody had quite modelled. Congress, which chose the safer path by staying with DMK, is now quietly pivoting and negotiating from a position of necessity rather than strength.

The Tamil Nadu Election Results 2026 are not just a political event. They are a signal about what happens when voters feel a government has run its course and something genuinely new presents itself, even if that something is still learning how politics actually works. Vijay will be sworn in on May 7. The real work starts the day after.

Disclaimer: This article is based on information available across the web. Parchar Manch does not take responsibility for its complete accuracy, as the content could not be fully verified.

FAQs

What is TVK, and who leads it?

TVK stands for Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. It was founded by actor Vijay in February 2024. The party contested its first-ever election in April 2026 and won 108 seats, making it the largest single party in the Tamil Nadu assembly.

Why does TVK need Congress's support if it already won 108 seats?

The Tamil Nadu assembly has 234 seats. A majority requires 118 seats. TVK won 108, which is 10 short. To form a stable government, it needs support from other parties. Congress, with its 5 seats, is one of the parties being approached.

What is Congress asking for in exchange for its support?

Congress is reportedly seeking two Cabinet positions and chairmanships of select government boards as conditions for extending support to TVK.

When will Vijay be sworn in as Chief Minister?

Vijay is scheduled to be sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on May 7, 2026. The ceremony is to be held at Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, with over 5,000 attendees invited.

Could AIADMK also support TVK's government?

Yes, this possibility is being discussed. AIADMK, which won 47 seats, is reportedly in talks to provide outside support to TVK, which would give TVK a much more comfortable majority without requiring a formal coalition.