CHENNAI: Speculation over the imposition of President’s Rule in Tamil Nadu intensified on Friday as the political deadlock over government formation deepened amid allegations of horse-trading, forged support letters and missing MLAs.

With the tenure of the current Tamil Nadu government ending on May 10, uncertainty continues over who will form the next government in the 234-member Assembly.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has reportedly made it clear that no party will be invited to form the government unless it demonstrates the support of at least 118 MLAs.

Actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which emerged as the single-largest party in the April 23 Assembly elections with 108 seats, has been attempting to gather outside support to cross the majority mark.

The DMK-led alliance secured 73 seats, while the AIADMK-led front won 53 seats.

TVK held discussions with the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Communist Party of India (CPI) and CPI(M). Congress extended support through its five MLAs, taking TVK’s tally to 113. CPI and CPI(M), with two MLAs each, later announced unconditional outside support, pushing the number to 117.

However, Vijay may have to vacate one of the two constituencies he won, potentially reducing the effective strength again and leaving TVK short of the majority mark.

Though support from VCK is expected, uncertainty over the final numbers continues.

The crisis took a dramatic turn late Friday night when AMMK General Secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran met Governor Arlekar at Raj Bhavan, alleging large-scale horse-trading by TVK leaders.

The controversy centred around AMMK-backed MLA S. Kamaraj, who was reportedly shown as supporting TVK.

Dhinakaran alleged forged support letters were sent to the Governor through WhatsApp and claimed that Kamaraj had gone “missing”.

Soon after, Kamaraj appeared before the media alongside Dhinakaran outside Raj Bhavan and denied officially supporting TVK, alleging misuse of his signature.

Dhinakaran later filed a police complaint seeking action against those responsible for the alleged forgery.

TVK denied the allegations and released a video purportedly showing Kamaraj voluntarily signing a support letter in favour of the party.

The party accused Dhinakaran of spreading misinformation to stall the formation of a Vijay-led government.

Political observers say that if the deadlock continues and allegations of horse-trading escalate, the Governor may submit a report to the Centre citing an extraordinary constitutional situation, potentially paving the way for President’s Rule in the state.

With less than 48 hours left before the present government’s term expires, intense political negotiations are continuing in Chennai amid mounting uncertainty over Tamil Nadu’s next government.