-- Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday insisted that TVK chief C Joseph Vijay submit letters of support from 118 MLAs to prove majority before proceeding with government formation in Tamil Nadu. Vijay had met the Governor for the second time in two days.
-- Though TVK sources earlier claimed Vijay had been invited to form the government, a Lok Bhavan communique later said the required majority had “not yet been established”.
-- Meanwhile, DMK allies VCK, MNM, Congress and CPM backed TVK’s bid, while party leader Nirmal Kumar said support was also sought from Left parties, VCK and IUML.
-- Sources told DT Next that TVK made a technical error while staking claim to form the government. Instead of presenting itself as the single largest party with 108 MLAs, the Vijay-led party submitted 112 names, including Congress MLAs, prompting Governor Arlekar to seek proof of support from 118 MLAs for a coalition government.
In a statement, TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai said the agitation was organised against the BJP and its "puppet" Governor Arlekar, who are allegedly indulging in backroom manoeuvring to unconstitutionally deny TVK its rightful chance to form the next government.
The move has triggered speculation in political circles as reports suggest that the MLAs are supporters of senior AIADMK leader CV Shanmugam. Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay has already secured the support of five Congress MLAs but still requires the backing of six more legislators to reach the majority mark in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Even as political observers and legal experts are criticising Governor Rajendra Arlekar for insisting that TVK president C Joseph Vijay should prove that he has the support of 118 MLA-elects in the House to form the next government, sources told DT Next that the insistence came due to an error on the part of the TVK leadership.
As per convention, the Governor will invite the single largest party to form the government. In the case of the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly election, the TVK has 108 winning candidates (including Vijay from two seats), considerably more than the DMK with 59 and the AIADMK (47)
There are no specific guidelines found in the Indian Constitution on the formation of a government after elections, as the framers largely felt that the Governor being the head of the State will go by the spirit of the Constitution and adopt political morality free from bias.
Article 164(2) stipulates that the Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of a State. This only means that even if the Chief Minister and other Ministers are appointed by the Governor (Article 164) and they hold office during the pleasure of the Governor, in actual terms, the Cabinet continues so long as it enjoys the confidence of the Legislative Assembly.
Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has conveyed to TVK chief C Joseph Vijay that the requisite majority support in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, necessary for forming the government, had not yet been established, as per a Lok Bhavan comminique following their meeting on Thursday.
CPM State Secretary P Shanmugam on Thursday (May 7) urged Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to immediately invite TVK president C Joseph Vijay to form the government, stating that the party had emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly elections.
In a statement, Shanmugam said the people of Tamil Nadu had not given a mandate to any party or alliance to independently form the government in the recently concluded Assembly elections. However, by electing 108 MLAs from TVK, the electorate had made the party the single largest formation in the Assembly, he said.
VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan on Thursday said the Governor should immediately invite TVK president C Joseph Vijay to form the government, arguing that the Constitution mandates that the single largest party be given the first opportunity to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.
Addressing reporters, the VCK president said the TVK had emerged as the “single largest party” in the Assembly elections and therefore Vijay should be sworn in as Chief Minister.
Amid uncertainty over the swearing-in ceremony, with the party falling short of the majority mark, TVK president and Chief Minister-elect C Joseph Vijay has convened a meeting of all 106 MLAs-elect at the party headquarters in Panaiyur at 10 am on Thursday (May 7).
Vijay is expected to hold detailed discussions with the newly elected legislators on the next course of action amid the evolving political situation and the ongoing efforts to secure the numbers required to form the government.
Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president Kamal Haasan on Thursday said refusing to invite actor C Joseph Vijay-led TVK, which had won 108 seats, to form the government would amount to disrespecting the mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu.
In a statement, he said the people of Tamil Nadu had not given any party a clear mandate to form the government on its own in the Assembly elections, and described the verdict as unprecedented in the State’s political history.
CPI State Secretary M. Veerapandian on Thursday urged Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to act in accordance with the Constitution and provide Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) an opportunity to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.
In a statement, Veerapandian said the verdict in the Assembly elections held on April 23 did not provide any single party with a clear mandate to independently form the government. However, the voters had elected TVK as the single largest party by giving it 108 seats.
Deadlock continues in government formation in Tamil Nadu, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday insisting that TVK chief C Joseph Vijay provide letters of support from 118 MLA-elects to prove a clear majority in the 234-member House before agreeing to proceed with the proposed swearing-in ceremony.
Earlier today, after Vijay met Arlekar for a second time in two days, sources within the TVK had claimed that the Governor was satisfied with Vijay’s assurances on numbers and invited him to form the government.
More than two decades ago, there I was, a film journalist, very reluctantly attending an event where he was celebrating Pongal with fans. It was held at an open ground, with a number of women preparing pongal.
It was very much like a film set. But the main attraction, a professional actor no less, was not role-playing; he brought a genuine warmth in his interactions with all. He was not angling for much publicity for the event. But he requested me to write on leukaemia and other medical issues affecting the young. “I saw my own sister suffer,” he said.
The decision of the Indian National Congress (INC) to extend support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the post-poll scenario has revived memories of a similar political development that took place more than seven decades ago in Tamil Nadu.
After Independence, the then Madras State faced its first Assembly election in 1951-52. In that election, the Congress party failed to secure a clear majority on its own. It later formed the government with the support of the Commonweal Party led by Vanniyar leader MA Manickavelu.
The already turbulent politics in Tamil Nadu seems to have entered uncharted waters on Wednesday after multiple sources claimed that the DMK has extended support for arch rival Edappadi K Palaniswami’s AIADMK to lead the next government, and him as chief minister, to thwart any attempt by TVK leader C Joseph Vijay from coming to power.
Vijay’s party, which ended nearly six decades of Dravidian rule to emerge the biggest party with 108 seats on its own (including Vijay from two seats) and also secured the support of Congress’s 5 MLA-elects, is still 6 seats short of simple majority (118). On the other hand, the DMK (59) and AIADMK (47) have 106 seats. Their allies have 14 seats – PMK has 4; CPM, CPI, VCK, IUML have 2 each, and AMMK and BJP have 1 each – from which the Dravidian combine would require 12.