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Who is Rajendra Arlekar? Tamil Nadu Governor at centre of post-election political standoff
Дата публикации: 09-05-2026 11:59:35
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has halted the swearing-in of TVK leader Vijay after the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election resulted in a hung assembly. TVK secured 108 seats, falling short of the 118 needed for a majority, and is seeking support from allied parties.
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Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has halted the swearing-in of TVK leader Vijay after the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election resulted in a hung assembly. TVK secured 108 seats, falling short of the 118 needed for a majority, and is seeking support from allied parties.
Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar shows his ink-marked finger after casting vote during the state Assembly elections, in Thiruvananthapuram. (@KeralaGovernor/X via PTI Photo) (@KeralaGovernor)Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the acting Governor of Tamil Nadu, is at the center of a major political standoff in Tamil Nadu after the 2026 assembly election resulted in a hung assembly, where he paused the swearing-in of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay, asking for proof of a 118-seat majority.
TVK emerged with 108 seats in its first-ever Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, 2026, falling 10 seats short of the majority mark in the 234-member Assembly. Following the results, the party approached the Indian National Congress (INC), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), all allies of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), to seek their backing for government formation after the polls held on April 23.
Among these parties, Congress has five MLAs, while the CPI, CPI(M), IUML and VCK have two legislators each.
Quick answers to key questions
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is the Governor of Tamil Nadu. He is at the center of a political standoff after the 2026 assembly election resulted in a hung assembly, where he questioned the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's (TVK) claim of a majority.
The standoff occurred because the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election resulted in a hung assembly, with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerging as the single largest party but falling short of the majority mark.
TVK, with 108 seats, sought support from allied parties like the Indian National Congress, CPI, CPI(M), and VCK. With their backing, TVK's tally reached 120 seats, crossing the majority mark of 118.
The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), having won two seats, emerged as a kingmaker in the Tamil Nadu politics. They extended their support to TVK, helping them cross the majority mark.
CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby criticized Governor Arlekar for allegedly disregarding democratic practice by questioning TVK's majority proof, stating that majority is tested on the floor of the house, not by the Governor.
The VCK and IUML have extended support to TVK on Saturday.
TVK has the support of Congress, IUML, CPI, CPI(M) and VCK, taking its tally to 120, crossing the majority mark of 118.
Who is Rajendra Arlekar?
Before assuming additional charge as the acting Governor of Tamil Nadu on March 12 this year, while serving as the Governor of Kerala, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar had served as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh from 2021 to 2023 and of Bihar from 2023 to 2025. He is a veteran of the Goa Legislative Assembly, having served as a cabinet minister and Speaker. He is described as having strong roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and close ties with the BJP leadership.
Arlekar was born in Nova Goa, Portuguese India, now known as Panaji, to Vishwanath Arlekar and Tilomattama Arlekar. He completed his schooling at St. Joseph's Institute in Vasco da Gama and later earned a degree in Commerce from MES College in Zuarinagar. He belongs to the Dalit community. Arlekar is married to Anagha, and the couple has two children.
CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby slams Arlekar
Meanwhile, CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby alleged on Saturday that the Governor was disregarding the "time-tested democratic practice" of inviting the single largest political party or post-poll alliance to form the government, as per ANI.
“The verdict is clear - they voted out the incumbent government, didn't give approval to the opposition, and almost elected a new party. Through Supreme Court verdicts, the practice has been clear: - invite either the single largest party or a post-poll alliance can also be invited. Tamil Nadu governor is ignoring the time tested democractic practice. The governor wanted to know how Vijay would prove a majority,” ANI quoted him as saying.
He added, "With all humility, I would like to say that that is none of the business of the Governor. Lok Bhavan is not where the majority of a party is tested; it is on the floor of the house. We will write to the Governor to invite the single largest party to form the government. Our MLAs are supporting the formation of the government by TVK. Now, VCK was also supposed to send a letter of support, which has not gone out yet."
About the Author
Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X
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