The ongoing political impasse in Tamil Nadu revolves around Governor Rajendra Arlekar's refusal to allow the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which won 108 seats in the assembly elections, to form a government. Despite securing letters of support from the Congress party, the Governor has cited a lack of an 'absolute majority' as the reason for his decision. This situation raises significant constitutional questions regarding the discretionary powers of the Governor and the established guidelines for handling hung assemblies. The Sarkaria Commission (1988) outlines that the Governor should first consider pre-poll alliances before inviting the single largest party, provided it has backing from others. The Supreme Court has previously ruled that the floor of the House is the appropriate venue for testing a majority, emphasizing the need for a stable government. Historical precedents from the 2017 Goa and Manipur cases show that post-poll coalitions can supersede claims from the single largest party. In Karnataka's 2018 elections, the Supreme Court intervened to ensure that the larger coalition was not undermined by the single largest party's claim. The Governor's current stance may reflect a desire to verify the Congress's support for the TVK before allowing them to prove their majority. However, the Rameshwar Prasad v Union of India (2006) case warns against gubernatorial overreach, stating that a Governor cannot indefinitely reject a claim without objective justification, as this could invite judicial scrutiny.