New Delhi : Political tensions continue to escalate in Tamil Nadu over the formation of the next government after Governor Arlekar reportedly declined to immediately invite Thalapathy Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government despite emerging as the single largest party.
The move has triggered strong reactions from several opposition parties, including the DMK, Kamal Haasan’s MNM, VCK and the CPI, all of which voiced solidarity with Vijay and backed his demand to be invited to form the government first.The parties argued that denying TVK the first opportunity to form the government would amount to disrespecting the public mandate.
Numbers Battle
In the Assembly elections, TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, falling 10 seats short of the majority mark of 118. However, after securing Congress support, the party’s tally reportedly rose to 113 MLAs, leaving it five short of a majority.
According to reports, Governor Arlekar asked TVK chief Vijay to first demonstrate majority support before being invited to form the government.
Vijay and allied parties, however, argued that constitutional convention requires the Governor to first administer the oath of office and then allow the government to prove its majority through a floor test in the Assembly.
Allies Rally Behind Vijay
Kamal Haasan strongly criticised the Governor’s reported stance, saying not inviting TVK to form the government would amount to undermining democracy and insulting the people’s verdict. He also praised DMK leader MK Stalin for expressing willingness to sit in the opposition.
VCK chief described the Governor’s demand as unacceptable, arguing that Vijay should be given an opportunity to prove majority support on the Assembly floor rather than beforehand.
CPI Tamil Nadu secretary M Veerapandian also backed TVK, stating that since no party secured a clear majority and TVK emerged as the largest party, Vijay should constitutionally receive the first invitation to form the government.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy said TVK currently has a fractured mandate and any decision taken by the Governor would be based on constitutional procedure.
