TN govt formation | Governor will go by rule book: BJP; TVK cadres protest outside Lok Bhavan
In his second visit to the Lok Bhavan within 24 hours, the TVK chief spent about 40 minutes inside the Governor's House on Thursday before leaving the premises
The BJP on Thursday (May 7) said that the Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will go by the rule book as TVK founder Vijay went to the Lok Bhavan for a second time in 24 hours to meet the Governor in connection with his request to be invited to form the government with the support of the Congress party.
BJP spokesperson Narayanan Tirupathy claimed that everything will happen in a democratic way vis-a-vis government formation.
‘He will go by rule book’
"I don't think there is any confusion with Raj (Lok) Bhavan or the Governor. He (Governor) will go by the constitution. He will go by rule book," the BJP leader told PTI Videos.
Also read: How Vijay glided effortlessly from Kodambakkam to Fort St George
"The way the people have cast their votes reflects this outcome. Consequently, the electorate has voted in such a way that no single party has secured an absolute majority", he added.
Further, Tirupathy said, "according to our constitutional framework, the party that secures the highest number of seats specifically, more than half of the total and got the necessary support or backing is entitled to form the government. However, unfortunately, in this instance, no party has secured a majority".
"I believe this is precisely the reason for the current confusion and they (Lok Bhavan) were taking the necessary time," he said.
"If other parties come forward to express their support for Vijay, a stable governance will be established in Tamil Nadu," he added.
Vijay’s second visit to Lok Bhavan
In his second visit to the Lok Bhavan within 24 hours, the TVK chief spent about 40 minutes inside the Governor's House in Chennai on Thursday before leaving the premises.
Also read: Hung Assembly in Tamil Nadu: what the Governor can and cannot do
The TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly in the April 23 polls and emerged as the single largest party. Though the Congress party, which has five MLAs, has extended support to TVK, the actor-politician-led party was still short of as many seats to touch the magic number of 118, the majority mark in the 200-plus member House.
On Wednesday, Vijay submitted the letter of support from the Congress party to the governor and staked a claim.
TVK cadres protest outside Lok Bhavan
Meanwhile, tension prevailed for a while when TVK cadres staged a protest demonstration outside the Lok Bhavan, on Thursday, demanding that the Governor allow the party chief Vijay to form the government.
The protesting TVK cadres, who were from Tiruppur district, referencing the S R Bommai case verdict, told the media that the Governor's House is not the appropriate venue for proving a majority, and emphasised that the Legislative Assembly is the rightful place to prove the majority.
The protestors also claimed that TVK has emerged as the single largest party by securing 108 MLAs, and as per the constitution, it was the duty of the governor to call Vijay to form the government.
(With agency inputs)