Former Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar. File | Photo credit: PTI
The right course of action for the Tamil Nadu Governor would be to invite the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by C. Joseph Vijay to form the government and prove its majority on the floor of the State Assembly, former Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar said on Thursday (May 7, 2026).
Reacting to the evolving political situation in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Kumar said that constitutional conventions and judicial precedents clearly state that when a party bets, the proper constitutional process is to give it an opportunity to demonstrate majority support through a ground test in the Assembly.
“The due process argument attributed in the media to the Tamil Nadu governor is seen as a callous ploy by the governor to delay Vijay’s swearing-in despite a resounding popular mandate in his favour. It is clear that no one else can and does not command a legislative majority under the current circumstances,” Kumar said in a statement.
“It is the constitutional power of the governor to invite a leader with majority support to form the government. It is clear that the support of six more MLAs for Vijay will come any time now. The correct course of action for the Tamil Nadu governor in the special circumstances is to invite Vijay to form the government and honor the former mandate of the people,” and to challenge him to prove his majority on the floor of the House.
Mr. Kumar said that the exercise of the constitutional prerogative of the Governor cannot be seen as contrary to the spirit of the mandate and the political morality that is the basis of democratic politics. “Constitutional conscience owes no apology to technicalities. Delaying Vijay’s swearing-in is political insolence and constitutional heresy,” he said.
Published – 07 May 2026 22:29 IST
