Chennai : Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Thursday turned down TVK chief Vijay’s proposal to form the government for the second consecutive day. Vijay met the Governor again today at Raj Bhavan to stake claim to form the government. The Governor told Vijay that TVK still fell short of the required numbers and asked him to come back with signatures of 118 MLAs before any swearing-in process could take place.
Sources said the Governor insisted on written support to ensure that the government remains stable and does not collapse after formation. Sources also said the Governor assured Vijay that he would not invite any other party to form the government. TVK has been asked to return with signatures backing its numbers, following which Vijay would be sworn in. No appointment has been sought by AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) with the Governor.
On the previous day as well, Vijay had met the Governor with the backing of 112 MLAs to stake claim to form the government. Although Vijay secured support from the Congress, which has five MLAs, he orally informed the Governor that he had the party’s backing and sought more time to shore up the numbers further, according to sources.
Governor Arlekar reportedly told him that the numbers were insufficient and asked him to return with the support of 118 legislators, triggering a fresh round of political efforts. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol Thirumavalavan on Thursday urged Governor Arlekar to invite Vijay to form the government and allow him to prove his majority on the floor of the House.
“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, he should be allowed to take office. That is the guidance provided by the Constitution,” he said. The Tamil Nadu unit of the Communist Party of India also urged the Governor to act according to the Constitution and said it was “inappropriate” to ask Vijay to prove his majority before the swearing-in ceremony.
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