TN Governor should follow Constitutional norms and Supreme Court judgments in inviting Vijays\u2019 TVK to form the government<\/p>\n
Kayal Ahamed Sahib<\/p>\n
Chennai, May 8<\/p>\n
In the recently concluded 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, Vijay\u2019s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) secured victory in 108 constituencies. The DMK alliance won 73 seats, while the AIADMK alliance secured 53 seats. Tamil Nadu has a total of 234 Assembly constituencies, and a party or alliance must secure at least 118 seats to obtain a clear majority and form the government.<\/p>\n
As no single party obtained an absolute majority, TVK leader Vijay met the Governor of Tamil Nadu and staked claim to form the government with the support of other parties. However, the Governor did not agree to this request.<\/p>\n
The authority to decide who should govern Tamil Nadu fundamentally belongs to the people of the state. Under the Constitution of India, the right to form the government must be granted to the political formation that commands the support of the elected members of the Legislative Assembly.<\/p>\n
Once election results are declared, it is the basic democratic responsibility of a Governor to respect the people\u2019s mandate, without being influenced by political preferences or pressures from the Union Government.<\/p>\n
Under Article 164 of the Constitution of India, the Governor is obligated to appoint as Chief Minister the individual who is capable of commanding majority support in the Legislative Assembly. Reinforcing this constitutional principle, the landmark 1994 Supreme Court judgment in the case of S.R. Bommai vs Union of India remains one of the most significant constitutional rulings concerning Indian federalism.<\/p>\n
In that judgment, the Supreme Court clearly stated that whenever doubts arise regarding whether a government enjoys majority support, such majority must be tested on the floor of the Legislative Assembly through a Floor Test. The Court also emphasized that Article 356 must not be misused for political purposes, and that democratically elected governments cannot be arbitrarily dismissed.<\/p>\n
Accordingly, in the present situation, it is the constitutional duty of the Governor of Tamil Nadu to invite Mr. Vijay, leader of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, to take oath as Chief Minister. Thereafter, he must be given an opportunity to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly within a stipulated time frame. This alone would be consistent with democratic convention and constitutional procedure.<\/p>\n
If he fails to prove his majority, the Governor may then proceed with further constitutional steps. That is both the legal and democratic norm. The office of the Governor is not an institution meant for political interference; it is a neutral constitutional authority entrusted with safeguarding the Constitution.<\/p>\n
In the past, serious political and legal controversies have arisen in states such as Goa, Maharashtra, New Delhi, and West Bengal regarding the conduct of Governors. Allegations were made that attempts had been undertaken to disregard the people\u2019s electoral mandate for political considerations. The democratic expectation of the people is that such a situation must not recur in Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n
During the tenure of former Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi, widespread criticism emerged across the country over his actions concerning various resolutions and legislative proceedings of the Tamil Nadu Government, which were perceived as exceeding constitutional limits. Many viewed it as a disregard for the democratic sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu and the constitutional authority of the elected government.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the present Governor, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, must act without yielding to any political pressure and should respect the democratic verdict delivered by the people of Tamil Nadu. Any attempt to undermine Tamil Nadu\u2019s democratic rights must be resisted collectively by Tamils, transcending political differences.<\/p>\n
Hence, the Hon\u2019ble Governor must recognize that the final authority in deciding who forms the government in Tamil Nadu rests solely with the democratic mandate of the people, and not with administrative or political pressures. Only if the Governor acts in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution and democratic conventions can federalism and the people\u2019s trust in democracy be preserved.<\/p>\n
At the same time, although TVK has publicly declared the BJP as its ideological adversary, political observers have increasingly expressed the view that Vijay has not demonstrated a firm and consistent political resistance against the BJP in a visible manner.<\/p>\n
There is also growing speculation regarding whether actor Vijay is facing political pressure from the BJP. Therefore, if any such pressure or constraints are indeed being exerted through the Governor\u2019s office or other channels, it becomes necessary for Vijay to transparently clarify the matter before Tamil society and his party cadre.<\/p>\n
Through this election verdict, the people of Tamil Nadu have made it abundantly clear that there is no place in the state for the politics of hatred propagated by the Sangh Parivar. That is precisely why the AIADMK\u2013BJP alliance was defeated in this election. In particular, the BJP, which contested in 27 constituencies, suffered defeat in 26 of them. Likewise, all candidates from other parties who contested under the \u201cLotus\u201d symbol were also defeated.<\/p>\n
This outcome represents a significant victory for the secular political ideology advanced by the Secular Progressive Alliance led by the DMK. Moreover, in a situation where no single party has secured the numbers required to independently form the government, it is noteworthy that the people of Tamil Nadu have effectively endorsed the proposal for a coalition government put forward by allied democratic forces, including the VCK, the Congress, and the Left parties.<\/p>\n
( The author Advocate Kayal Ahamed Sahib is State Secretary of Ideological Propaganda Wing of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK). )<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TN Governor should follow Constitutional norms and Supreme Court judgments in inviting Vijays\u2019 TVK to form the government Kayal Ahamed Sahib Chennai, May 8 In the recently concluded 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, Vijay\u2019s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) secured victory in 108 constituencies. The DMK alliance won 73 seats, while the AIADMK alliance secured …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92,33,1284,91,56],"tags":[3957,3549,4016],"class_list":["post-8705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-international","category-international-political-national","category-national","category-politics","tag-tamil-nadu-assembly-polls-2026","tag-vck-viduthalai-chiruthaigal-katchi","tag-vijay-of-tvk"],"yoast_head":"\n