In the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won 108 seats, just 10 short of the majority needed in the 234-member Assembly. Following negotiations with smaller parties, the Governor invited TVK chief C. Joseph Vijay to form the government. Article 164(1) of the Indian Constitution mandates that the Governor appoint the Chief Minister, but does not specify criteria for situations where no party holds a majority. Past recommendations from the Sarkaria Commission and the Punchhi Commission suggest a preference order for appointing Chief Ministers in hung Assemblies, but these have not always been followed. For example, in Goa and Manipur in 2017, Governors invited BJP-led alliances to form governments despite Congress being the single largest party. This has led to concerns about Governors acting as agents of the Union government rather than impartial constitutional heads. In Tamil Nadu, the Governor's office indicated the need to verify majority support for TVK's claim to form the government. The Supreme Court has ruled that the Assembly floor is the constitutionally mandated forum for testing majority support, a principle that has seen inconsistent application. A recent committee report has suggested codifying the rules governing the Governor's discretionary powers to ensure they are exercised fairly.