Chennai, May 8:
The Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) on Thursday urged Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to act in accordance with constitutional norms and invite the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government.
CPI State Secretary M. Veerapandian said the Assembly election verdict had not given any single party a clear majority, but TVK had emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats. He noted that TVK president C. Joseph Vijay had already met the Governor and staked claim to form the government.
Veerapandian said it would be inappropriate to insist that TVK prove its majority before the swearing-in, stressing that constitutional practice requires such a test to be conducted on the floor of the Assembly. He added that the Governor should grant adequate time for the party to demonstrate its strength.
Referring to the landmark S. R. Bommai vs Union of India judgment, the CPI leader said the Supreme Court had consistently upheld the principle that majority must be tested on the Assembly floor, not decided beforehand.
Echoing similar views, VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan said Vijay should be invited to assume office without being asked to first show support from 118 MLAs. He asserted that as the leader of the single largest party, Vijay must be given an opportunity to prove his majority in the House.
Thirumavalavan also criticised the delay in decision-making, stating that the uncertainty was creating confusion in the political environment. He reiterated that the question of majority should be settled only through a floor test.
He further indicated that the VCK was open to supporting a TVK-led government if approached formally, signalling possible post-poll alignments as the government formation process continues in Tamil Nadu.