The political crisis in Tamil Nadu intensified on Thursday when actor-turned-politician Vijay met Governor Rajendra Arlikar for the second time in two days, even as Lok Bhavan defended its decision not to invite the Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government, saying it had not proven to have a majority.
The governor is usually allowed discretion in matters of government formation, and the judiciary states that he must make a “fascial” assessment of the majority. However, Lok Bhavan’s delay over this gray area has created more confusion. Each party in the state rallied lawmakers and sought to show unity even as the deadlock showed no signs of breaking three days after the results of the House of Representatives elections were announced. Follow live updates on Tamil Nadu government formation here.
After meeting Arlikar for the first time on Wednesday, Vijay again went to Lok Bhavan on Thursday but could not get an invitation. In addition to TVK’s 108 seats, Vijay has the support of five Congress legislators.
“During the meeting, the Governor made it clear that the required majority support was not provided in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, which is necessary to form the government,” the governor’s office said.
The Governor’s action has created a flurry in Tamil Nadu. The Viduthalai Chiruthigal Katchi (VCK), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) – each with two seats – will decide their position on Friday. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Party, which has 59 seats, issued a statement after a meeting of legislators on Thursday and authorized former Prime Minister M K Stalin to take any decision.
“While Tamil Nadu is not ready to hold another election, our primary goal is to form a stable government in Tamil Nadu. At the same time, we are also compelled to consider the need not to give space to communal forces that would undermine the politics of the Dravidian movement. This meeting unanimously resolves to grant MK Stalin the power to take urgent decisions with immediate effect,” the party’s resolution said.
Where do the parties stand in supporting TVK?
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which has 47 legislators, seems stuck in two minds, with some legislators favoring an association with TVK and others opposing it. Party president E Palaniswami on Thursday traveled to a beach resort in Puducherry where nearly 40 party legislators are isolated for discussions. Lawmakers at RKN Beach Resort are said to be in favor of supporting TVK’s Vijay.
According to news agency PTI, Palaniswami asked the elected MLAs to stay united and be patient. “Good things will emerge and hence you all should remain united and patient at the resort in the next two days,” the EPS told the MLAs, according to people familiar with the matter.
Vijay’s rising party broke the 50-year-old Dravidian duopoly to emerge as the single largest party in the Assembly elections earlier this week, winning 108 seats, 10 short of a simple majority in the 234-member House. It has the support of the five lawmakers in Congress, but has not yet received explicit support from any other party. Vijay contested and won two seats. The 51-year-old must resign from one seat within 14 days of notification of the election result.
On Thursday, TVK once again sought support from smaller components of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) — namely the VCK, CPI, CPI(M) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) — TVK leader Nirmal Kumar said.
The VCK and Left parties said they would decide their position on Friday.
“We will decide later. We will hold a meeting of our high-level committee tomorrow evening. We are currently waiting for the Left parties’ decision. Because we have been working with the Left parties for the past 10 years, we are determined to reach a joint decision. That is why we are waiting for their decision,” said Thul Thirumavalavan, president of VCK.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary MA Baby said he would work alongside CPI and VCK to prevent the BJP from seizing power in Tamil Nadu. Both leftist parties called for a meeting of their government committees on Friday. “We will not leave the DMK alliance. Whatever we do, the CPI(M) will work jointly with the CPI and VCK,” Baby said. The IUML has already refused to break away from the DMK.
Both the VCK and the Left urged the Governor to invite Vijay. “Now, the BJP, or Amit Shah and Modi, are interfering in Tamil Nadu politics and creating confusion. TVK has been chosen as the single largest party by the people. Therefore, it should be allowed to hold office,” Thirumavalavan told reporters.
What training when the majority fail?
In India, governors usually invite the single largest party to form the government if no single party or pre-election coalition crosses the halfway mark, as happened in Maharashtra in 2019. However, there is no law for such scenarios and the Constitution leaves it to the governor’s discretion. The Supreme Court rulings also leave the region in a gray area, saying that the governor must make a “fascial” assessment of majority, but the landmark SR Bommai ruling says that the majority test can only be done on the floor of the House.
“Tamil Nadu governors are agents of the BJP. They are tampering with the Constitution to serve the interests of the BJP. Call Vijay, the leader of the single largest party, swear him in as chief minister, let him prove his majority in the Assembly. No post-poll alliance has majority. Sarkaria Committee. Settled law. But who listens,” independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said on X.
Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said: “Unconstitutionality of Vijay’s non-administration of oath; Governor’s decision is not in line with the spirit of the law.”
DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai wondered why TVK had not spoken publicly about the delay. “What is really puzzling is why TVK does not question the governor’s actions, if they believe his actions are cautious,” he said.
“Why are there no questions against the BJP which controls the governor? Is this a sign of lack of courage? Everyone is questioning the governor,” he added.
The DMK also criticized the Congress for abandoning a two-decade-old alliance to support TVK. “The Congress committed high treason by stabbing our party leader in the back… What the BJP is doing in many states, the Congress has done to us in Tamil Nadu,” the party said on Channel X.
BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathi said everything will happen in a democratic manner and stressed that no party has a clear mandate.
