TVK member moves SC seeking direction to governor to invite it to form govt in Tamil Nadu

NEW DELHI: A functionary of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has moved the Supreme Court seeking directions for Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to invite Vijay to form the government and swear him in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, as per a Bar and Bench report.The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) argues that TVK emerged as the single largest party in the Tamil Nadu assembly election and should therefore be invited to form the government, even though it has not yet demonstrated majority support through letters submitted to the Governor."The floor of the House is the only legitimate place to test a majority claim," the plea stated.It further contends that the constitutional test of majority must take place only on the floor of the House and not through private communications or documents presented before the Governor, according to a Bar and Bench report."Requiring TVK to first produce letters from 118 MLAs before issuing an invitation would invert the constitutional sequence," the plea further states.The PIL has been filed by K. Ezhilarasi, who describes herself as an advocate and an active member of TVK.The move comes amid an ongoing political deadlock in Tamil Nadu after TVK won 108 seats, falling short of the majority mark of 118.Governor Arlekar had reportedly asked Vijay to furnish proof of majority support before extending an invitation to form the government, leading to uncertainty over the swearing-in process.The plea further argues that inviting anyone other than Vijay to form the government would go against constitutional principles and undermine the democratic mandate given by the people of Tamil Nadu.Why Vijay's TVK faces hurdles in government formationTamil Nadu Assembly elections were held on April 23, with results declared on May 4. The election recorded the highest voter turnout in the state's history at 85.1 percent.Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), founded by actor-politician Vijay, won 108 seats out of 234 and emerged as the single largest party.However, TVK fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats. Outgoing Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) lost his seat from the Kolathur constituency and subsequently resigned. To secure a majority, TVK forged an alliance with Indian National Congress MLAs, who broke away from the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance to support Vijay's bid to form the government.