Plea in Supreme Court says Governor is ‘duty-bound’ to invite TVK to form government in Tamil Nadu

A writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Friday, May 8, 2026, arguing that the mandate of the Governor of Tamil Nadu to invite Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party president C. Joseph Vijay as the leader of the single largest party will form the government in the state and later prove majority in the Assembly.

Also Read | Updates on Tamil Nadu Government formation

The petition filed by Ezhilarasi P., who said he was a Chennai-based TVK party member, referred to media reports that Governor Rajendra Arlekar may invite post-election coalition parties to form the government in Tamil Nadu.

The petition filed by lawyer A. Lakshminarayanan stated that such a move by the Governor would “sound the death knell for democracy” and would be against the mandate of the voters.

“Since no pre-election alliance has a majority, the natural first call is to the TPC as the single largest party, especially since the Congress has submitted a formal demand with a letter of support. The governor’s role is to invite and not to demand proof of complete majority before issuing the invitation,” the petition said.

It was stated that TVK’s production of 118 letters before issuing the invitation would reverse the constitutional order determined by the Supreme Court.

“The correct order is to invite, take the oath and then conduct the floor test immediately,” the petition said.