J&K CM Omar Abdullah Supports Vijay’s Claim To Form Government If Majority Proven

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said there was no justification for imposing President’s Rule in Tamil Nadu and asserted that the single largest party should be given the opportunity to form the government and prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly. His remarks came amid the ongoing political uncertainty in Tamil Nadu following Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s decision to reject Vijay’s claim to form the government. The Governor had stated that Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) did not possess the required numbers to establish a majority in the 234-member state assembly.

TVK emerged as the single largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, significantly disrupting the long-standing political dominance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). However, the party remains short of the majority mark of 118 seats required to form the government.

The situation has become more complicated as Vijay is expected to vacate one of the two seats he won, reducing TVK’s effective strength to 107. With the support of the Indian National Congress and its five MLAs, the alliance currently commands the backing of 112 legislators, still five short of a majority.

Speaking to reporters, Abdullah referred to Supreme Court judgments and constitutional conventions, arguing that the Governor should invite the single largest party to attempt government formation. He said the appropriate course of action would be to allow the party to prove its majority within the Assembly rather than deny it the opportunity outright.

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Drawing a historical parallel, Abdullah cited former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 13-day government in 1996, noting that the President had invited Vajpayee to form the government despite uncertainty over numbers. He said Vajpayee eventually resigned after failing to secure majority support, demonstrating how constitutional procedures should function in a hung assembly scenario. The Tamil Nadu government formation process continues to remain uncertain, with smaller regional parties now holding significant influence as TVK attempts to gather the additional support needed to cross the majority threshold.

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