Tension briefly escalated outside Lok Bhavan in Chennai after police detained a supporter of Vijay during a protest against Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.
The protest erupted after the Governor once again declined to immediately invite the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the next government despite the party emerging as the single-largest formation in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Visuals from outside Lok Bhavan showed police personnel removing and detaining a TVK supporter who was raising slogans demanding that Vijay be allowed to take oath as chief minister and prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly.
The development came amid growing political uncertainty in Tamil Nadu after the Assembly delivered a fractured mandate. TVK secured 108 seats in the 234-member House, falling short of the majority mark of 118. The DMK won 59 seats, while the AIADMK secured 47 seats.
Supporters of TVK have accused the Governor of delaying the democratic process and ignoring constitutional convention by not inviting the single-largest party first. The Governor, however, has maintained that any party seeking to form the government must first demonstrate majority support.
The political atmosphere in Chennai has remained tense over the past two days, with several opposition leaders and regional parties backing TVK’s demand to prove its strength inside the Assembly rather than at Raj Bhavan.
