CHENNAI: TVK president Vijay met Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Lok Bhavan for the second consecutive day on Thursday and held detailed discussions for more than 30 minutes regarding the formation of the government in Tamil Nadu.
The Governor reiterated his request to Vijay to provide proof of majority (118 MLAs), so he can formally invite him to form the government.
"During the meeting, the Hon'ble Governor explained that the requisite majority support in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, essential for forming the Government, has not been established," the Lok Bhavan said in a statement.
According to sources, the Governor insisted that Vijay submit proof of support from 118 MLAs to form the government. During the discussions with Vijay, the Governor reportedly cited past incidents where courts have censured governors for failing to ascertain whether the party claiming stake to form the government enjoys a majority, to explain his decision, even as the TVK chief said he was ready to face the floor test.
Sources also said the decision not to invite the TVK to form the government was taken after seeking legal opinion from Additional Solicitor General of India ARL Sundaresan.
Since the TVK had referred to itself as part of a coalition, it was required to demonstrate the support of 118 MLAs, sources said. The Governor's office also sought clarification on which other parties were prepared to back the TVK.
Vijay, whose Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) delivered a stunning performance in its electoral debut and secured 108 seats, has emerged as the single largest party, but fallen short of a majority to form the government.
The Congress, which won five seats, has extended support to Vijay, but the TVK will still need the support of another five MLAs to ensure a majority.
Sources said Vijay and senior TVK leaders explained to the Governor the support they had received from the Congress and the possibility of garnering further backing to form the government.
Vijay, who won from the Tiruchirapalli East and Perambur constituencies, had on Wednesday submitted letters of support from 113 MLAs, including five Congress legislators who formally backed the TVK.
Meanwhile, DMK allies VCK and the Left parties are set to meet party president M K Stalin to discuss whether to extend support to Vijay in government formation. Stalin had already gone on record to state that Vijay should be allowed to form the government.
The VCK, CPI and MNM have also voiced support for Vijay and urged the Governor to invite him to form the government.
Some VCK leaders have come out urging party chief Thol Thirumavalavan to join the TVK government, citing difficulties faced in the DMK-led alliance before the Assembly elections.
"TVK has also adopted Ambedkar and Periyar as its ideological leaders. Almost the same politics spoken by VCK is now being echoed by TVK as well. TVK has ensured the victory of 28 candidates from Scheduled Communities in general constituencies. In such a scenario, aligning with TVK would pave the way for the future of youngsters like us," said VS Raghu, Dy Secy of VCK State Farmers Protection Wing.
Earlier in the day, CPI state secretary M Veerapandian and VCK president Thirumavalavan took exception to the Governor’s delay, calling it unconstitutional and an attempt to create confusion.
The CPI said it was unconstitutional to insist on proof of majority before the swearing in. Citing Supreme Court rulings, including the SR Bommai case, Veerapandian stressed that constitutional conventions and judicial precedents require the Governor to provide the TVK an opportunity to establish its majority in the House.
Thirumavalavan said Governor Rajendra Arlekar should invite TVK president Vijay to form the government in accordance with the Constitution, since the TVK is the single largest party.
“The Governor, without doing so, is creating confusion,” Thirumavalavan said. He further claimed that BJP leaders, including Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, were interfering in Tamil Nadu politics and creating confusion.
MNM president Kamal Haasan, in a post on X, said the Tamil Nadu Assembly election verdict, which produced a hung House, was unprecedented in the State’s political history, as no party had secured a clear majority to form the government independently.
He welcomed DMK president MK Stalin’s statement respecting the people’s mandate and functioning as a responsible Opposition, describing it as a sign of political maturity.
Kamal Haasan urged the constitutional authorities to fulfil their duty by inviting the TVK to form the government as the single largest party with 108 seats.
Citing the Supreme Court’s SR Bommai judgment, he stressed that a majority must be tested on the Assembly floor, not at Lok Bhavan, and warned that delaying the process undermined democracy and disrespected the people’s mandate.
In another development, it is being speculated that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami will meet the Governor at 3.30 pm on Thursday. However, Palaniswami's office has declined to comment on this.
Earlier, sources said a section of AIADMK MLAs had been moved to a resort in Ariyankuppam, Puducherry. The shifting had been carried out without the consent of Edappadi K Palaniswami, sources said.
Senior AIADMK leaders SP Velumani and CV Shanmugam are said to be of the view that the AIADMK should support the TVK in forming the government and also seek a power-sharing arrangement.
However, Palaniswami is learnt to have told them that it would not be prudent to support the TVK even before the party made a formal request to the AIADMK. He also reportedly said that, in the long run, sharing power would not be a wise decision for the AIADMK.
On Thursday morning, reports suggested that the AIADMK had given the TVK until 1 pm to decide whether it would accept the AIADMK’s support to form the government.
However, an AIADMK national spokesperson dismissed the reports as speculation.
“Split in AIADMK, TVK given deadline by AIADMK, AIADMK and DMK alliance, one more AIADMK split and AIADMK breaking into factions. These are just speculations,” he said.
He could not be reached for further clarification. Senior AIADMK leaders KP Munusamy, OS Manian, CVe Shanmugam and SP Velumani also could not be reached for comment on the developments.
Meanwhile, Puducherry AIADMK functionary Anbazhagan told reporters that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was pained by the defeat of DMK president MK Stalin and asserted that the AIADMK stood united.
When asked about reports of AIADMK MLAs being kept at a resort, he said it was due to the summer heat and maintained that the party remained united.
Meanwhile, speculation continued over a possible meeting between Palaniswami and the Governor later in the day.
In another significant development, DMK president MK Stalin said that if Vijay forms the government, “we won’t disturb him for six months”.
TVK president Vijay, meanwhile, is holding discussions with party leaders at Panaiyur.
