The Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) on Friday (May 8, 2026) extended support to actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), taking the alliance’s tally to 117 seats, one short of the 118 required for a majority.

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The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), which has two seats, is also expected to extend its support to the TVK. Earlier, VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan had said that the party would take a decision along the lines of the Left parties.

The three key parties — CPI, CPI(M), and VCK — hold two seats each, enough for the TVK to form the government if they join a coalition led by the debutant party. The TVK has already secured the support of the Congress party, which has five seats in the Assembly.

The TVK made its electoral debut in this year’s Assembly elections with a massive victory of 108 seats, pushing the DMK and AIADMK coalitions to second and third place, respectively. However, with the party falling short of a majority, the State was left with a hung Assembly.

Here is the split-up of seats by alliance.

The days following the announcement of the results have been marked by intense discussions among parties and allies over the way forward, with some senior leaders of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) reportedly urging party president M.K. Stalin to forge an alliance with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), its long-time arch rival.

Here is a timeline of the key developments tracking these discussions.