Floor test

People were under the impression that Mr. Vijay’s TVK party, which emerged as the single largest party in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly election, would be called by the Governor to form the government. To the surprise of all, the Governor has insisted that Mr. Vijay produce formal letters of support from enough MLAs before the swearing-in process can move forward. It is questionable whether the Governor has such powers. The convention is that the Governor has to call the single largest party to form the Government which, in this case, is Mr. Vijay’s party and subject him to the floor test to prove his majority within the shortest possible time. The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the Bommai case made it clear that the floor test is the only reliable test by which a government can prove its majority. Such being the position, the Governor was not right in not inviting Mr. Vijay to form the government.

The Governor has not followed constitutional precedents and has assumed a power which he does not have. It is not out of place to suggest that the Governor’s actions are unconstitutional.

N.G.R. Prasad

Chennai

Challenge for Congress

The Congress led UDF’s return to power with a mandate of 102 seats is a rejection of the LDF’s overbearing leadership. While the previous administration made strides in infrastructure, it collapsed under the weight of internal nepotism and a disconnect from the grassroots. For the UDF, the immediate challenge is to pivot from a campaign team into a cohesive governing body. The unseemly lust for the Chief Ministerial post displayed by senior leaders has been an embarrassment. The new government also faces a daunting fiscal battle exacerbated by a perceived lack of support from the Central government. There is a growing and justifiable sentiment in Kerala that the Centre is failing to provide the State its due, particularly regarding the 16th FC’s tax devolution. Delivering on the five guarantees amidst such a strained treasury will require exceptional administrative competence. 

S. Padmanabhan

Kochi