The political deadlock in Tamil Nadu deepens as TVK chief Vijay fails to convince Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar for the second time in 24 hours. Despite leading the single largest party with 107 (effectively) MLAs and gaining Congress' support, Vijay remains short of the 118-majority mark. The Governor has strictly insisted on a physical list of 118 signatures before administering the oath, a move critics call "unconstitutional." As the clock ticks, Vijay is now in a high-stakes race to win over smaller parties like the VCK, the Left, and AMMK to finally claim the CM’s chair.