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Reports that there will be no swearing-in ceremony on April 9 have come as a jarring anti-climax for Vijay supporters
The heartbreak for the TVK faithful lies in the razor-thin margin of the deadlock. File image
The streets of Chennai, which were bracing for a historic “coronation” on Saturday, have instead been blanketed by a heavy, uncertain silence. For the thousands of supporters of actor-turned-politician Vijay, reports that there will be no swearing-in ceremony on April 9 have come as a jarring anti-climax. As the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) remains tantalisingly stuck at 117 supporters—just one seat shy of the magic number—the grand celebration planned for the secretariat has been indefinitely deferred.
The Great Trek to Chennai
From the early hours of Friday, the arterial roads leading into the capital were choked with fans-turned-cadres. Supporters from districts as far-flung as Kanyakumari, Madurai, and Salem had boarded special buses and trains, convinced that May 9 would mark the dawn of the “Thalapathy” era. By Friday afternoon, budget hotels in Triplicane and guest houses near the Koyambedu bus terminus were reportedly at 100% occupancy, with many fans opting to camp out in open grounds near the ECR.
The atmosphere in these camps was celebratory, with posters hailing Vijay as the “Architect of New Tamil Nadu.” However, as news trickled in from Raj Bhavan that Governor Rajendra Arlekar had declined to issue an invitation for the oath-taking, the cheers were replaced by frantic refreshing of news feeds. The “Saturday that wasn’t” has left an estimated fifty thousand visitors in the city in a state of logistical and emotional limbo.
A Tantalising Numbers Game
The heartbreak for the TVK faithful lies in the razor-thin margin of the deadlock. With 108 seats of its own and the late-stage backing of the Congress and the Left, Vijay’s alliance reached 117 signatures. The failure so far to secure the 118th vote—widely expected to come from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK)—has effectively frozen the democratic process.
For the fans, the constitutional requirement of a physical “list of 118″ feels like a bureaucratic hurdle rather than a political reality. To them, the mandate for the single largest party should have been enough to trigger a Saturday ceremony. The delay is being viewed by the TVK grassroots not as a failure of numbers but as a strategic stall by the established Dravidian giants to prevent a newcomer from taking the seat of power.
Empty Stages and Deflated Hopes
At the TVK headquarters in Panaiyur and the designated venues near the Secretariat, the sight of half-finished stages and rolled-up carpets tells the story of a missed milestone. Party insiders suggest that the “Thalapathy” himself has urged his followers to maintain discipline and remain calm, even as the VCK high command continues its marathon deliberations.
The immediate concern for the city administration is now the dispersal of this massive crowd. While many fans have vowed to stay until the “final signature” is obtained, the lack of a definite timeline from the Governor’s office suggests that the wait for the 2026 coronation may stretch well into the coming week. For now, the banners declaring Saturday as a “Historic Day” remain hanging, serving as a poignant reminder of how close, yet how far, the TVK is from the corridors of power.
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