{"id":362600,"date":"2026-05-11T15:09:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T09:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=362600"},"modified":"2026-05-11T15:09:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T09:39:43","slug":"role-of-governor-in-government-formation-explained-pointwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/role-of-governor-in-government-formation-explained-pointwise\/","title":{"rendered":"Role of Governor in Government Formation &#8211; Explained Pointwise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections (2026), the Governor\u2019s role in government formation became a major constitutional and political issue because the verdict resulted in a hung Assembly. TVK emerged as the single largest party but initially lacked a clear majority in the Assembly. The Governor reportedly asked TVK to furnish support from at least 118 MLAs before government formation, leading to political controversy and debate regarding constitutional conventions. Constitutional experts emphasized that the proper method to determine majority is a floor test in the Assembly rather than subjective assessment by the Governor.<\/p>\n<p>In this regard, it becomes important to understand the role plated by the Governor in the formation of the government in States.<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%; text-align: center;\"><strong>Table of Content<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"#h1\">What is the role &amp; powers of Governor in Indian polity?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#h2\">What are the recommendations of various commissions regarding the Governor\u2019s role in the formation of government?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#h3\">What are the issues related to the Governor\u2019s role in the formation of government?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#h4\">What should be the way forward?<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\"><b><a id=\"h1\"><\/a>What is the role &amp; powers of Governor in Indian polity?<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Constitutional &amp; Ceremonial Role:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Governor is the constitutional head of the State executives. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The executive power of the State is vested in the Governor (<strong>Article 154<\/strong>), and all executive actions of the State government are formally taken in their name (<strong>Article 166<\/strong>). <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Governor acts as a bridge between the Centre and the State. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\/she enjoys various executive, legislative, financial and discretionary powers. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Constitutional Provisions:<\/b>\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\n<li><b>Article 153:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Provides for a Governor for one or more than one states.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Article 154: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The executive powers of the state are vested in the Governor and can be exercised directly or through subordinate officers in accordance with the Constitution.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Article 155:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Provides for the appointment of the Governor by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Article 156:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Provides the term of office of Governor- Appointed for a period of five years and holds office during the pleasure of the President. Pleasure of the President means that he can be removed anytime by the President, even before the expiry of five years.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Article 157: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Qualifications <\/strong>&#8211; He should be a citizen of India and must have completed the age of 35 years.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Article 164(1)<\/strong>: Provides that the Chief Minister of a State shall be appointed by the Governor, while other ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Discretionary Powers:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Governor has two types of discretion in the execution of his work:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #f5f2a6;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 1.02354%;\"><strong>Constitutional Discretion\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 98.9765%;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Article 200 &amp; 201 = <span class=\"\">Reservation of Bills:<\/span> <\/strong>The Governor can reserve certain bills for the consideration of the President.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Article 356 = <span class=\"\">President&#8217;s Rule Report<\/span>:<\/strong> The Governor can send a report to the President declaring the failure of the constitutional machinery in the state. This action is taken in personal discretion without ministerial advice.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Article 239 (2) = Administrator of Adjacent Union Territory:<\/strong>\u00a0Where the Governor is also appointed as administrator of some Union Territory in respect of administration of such territories he will act independently of his Cabinet.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Article 167 = Seeking Information:<\/strong>\u00a0He seeks information from the Chief Minister with regard to the administrative and legislative matters of the state.<\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"5,4,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-22\">Special Tribal\/Regional Responsibilities:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-22 citation-end-22\"> Determining royalties payable to Tribal District Councils (Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 1.02354%;\"><strong>Situational Discretion\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 98.9765%;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span class=\"\">Appointment of Chief Minister<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"\">: When no single party has a clear majority, the Governor must use discretion to invite the leader most likely to command a majority in the House.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span class=\"\">Dismissal of Council of Ministers<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"\">: If the Council of Ministers loses the confidence of the House or acts unconstitutionally, the Governor may dismiss them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span class=\"\">Dissolution of Assembly<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"\">: The Governor may dissolve the Legislative Assembly if a government loses a vote of confidence and no alternative government can be formed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"9,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-15\">Asking for a Floor Test:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-15 citation-end-15\"> When the Governor has reasonable grounds to believe the government has lost its majority, they can direct the CM to prove it on the floor of the House.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a id=\"h2\"><\/a>What are the recommendations of various commissions regarding the Governor\u2019s role in the formation of government?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #faf9b1;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 5.78301%;\"><strong>Sarkaria Commission (1988)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 94.217%;\">The Sarkaria Commission was the first to systematically address this issue. It recommended that the Governor, when inviting a party to form a government, should be guided by the following <strong>&#8216;order of preference&#8217;<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Pre-poll alliance:<\/strong> First, invite the coalition of parties that was formed before the elections and commands the largest support.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Single largest party:<\/strong> If no pre-poll alliance has a majority, invite the single largest party that stakes a claim to form the government with the support of others.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Post-poll coalition:<\/strong> Next, consider a coalition formed after the election, with all partner parties joining the government.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Post-poll alliance:<\/strong> As the last option, consider an alliance formed after the election, where some parties form the government and others (including independents) support it from outside.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Final arbiter:<\/strong> In all these scenarios, the Governor&#8217;s ultimate task is to select the leader who, in their judgment, is most likely to command a majority in the Assembly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 5.78301%;\"><strong>Punchhi Commission (2010)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 94.217%;\">The Punchhi Commission largely concurred with the Sarkaria Commission&#8217;s order of preference but also made some significant additional recommendations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It reiterated the same <strong>four-step order of preference<\/strong> for government formation in a hung house, firmly supporting the principle that pre-poll alliances should be treated as a single political party.<\/li>\n<li>It also suggested that Governors must make decisions within a <strong>fixed time frame (4 months)<\/strong> and not sit on them indefinitely.<\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"10,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Codification:<\/b> It recommended that these guidelines be codified into the Constitution or through a &#8220;Code of Conduct&#8221; so that Governors cannot use personal whims.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a id=\"h3\"><\/a>What are the issues related to the Governor\u2019s role in the formation of government?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>The Constitutional &#8220;Grey Area&#8221;<\/strong>: The primary issue is the Constitution&#8217;s silence on the exact procedure for a hung Assembly. While Article 164(1) gives the Governor the power to appoint the Chief Minister, it does not specify any criteria for when no party has a clear majority &#8211; leaving the Governor to exercise what is known as &#8220;situational discretion.&#8221; This ambiguity creates a vacuum that has often been exploited for political maneuvering.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Disagreement Over the &#8220;Order of Preference&#8221;<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Legally Non-Binding:<\/strong> While Sarkaria &amp; Punchhi commissions have recommended a clear order of preference for whom the Governor should invite first, these are not legally binding. This has led to direct conflicts between the Governor and the political parties.<\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"5,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Subjective Interpretation:<\/b> Governors often alternate between inviting the <b data-path-to-node=\"5,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"74\">Single Largest Party (SLP)<\/b> and a <b data-path-to-node=\"5,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"107\">Post-Poll Coalition<\/b>, depending on which aligns with the party in power at the Centre.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>The &#8220;Agent of the Centre&#8221; Perception<\/strong>: The most persistent political issue is the widespread perception that Governors act not as impartial constitutional heads but as agents of the central government. The actions of Governors in hung Assembly situations are often viewed not as neutral constitutional decisions but as deliberate attempts to keep opposition parties out of power and favor a party aligned with the Centre.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Misuse of the &#8220;Time Frame&#8221; for Floor Tests<\/strong>: <span class=\"citation-113\">When a Governor invites a leader to form a government, they specify a period to prove a majority (the <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"102\"><span class=\"citation-113\">Floor Test<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-113 citation-end-113\">). <span class=\"citation-112\">Giving an exceptionally long period (e.g., 15 days) is often viewed as providing a window for <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"105\"><span class=\"citation-112\">&#8220;Horse-Trading&#8221;<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-112 citation-end-112\">.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"citation-113 citation-end-113\"><span class=\"citation-112 citation-end-112\"><strong>&#8220;Subjective Satisfaction&#8221; vs. &#8220;Objective Proof&#8221;<\/strong>: Governors sometimes reject claims of support based on their &#8220;subjective satisfaction&#8221; regarding the stability of a coalition. Instead of allowing the <b data-path-to-node=\"11,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"35\">Floor of the House<\/b> to be the judge (as mandated by the <i data-path-to-node=\"11,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"90\">S.R. Bommai<\/i> case), Governors sometimes act as &#8220;gatekeepers,&#8221; deciding in the Raj Bhavan whether an alliance is &#8220;principled&#8221; or &#8220;opportunistic.&#8221; The mandate should be tested in the Assembly, not in the Governor&#8217;s office.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a id=\"h4\"><\/a>What should be the way forward?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Codification of the &#8220;Order of Preference&#8221;<\/strong>: <span class=\"citation-145\">The recommendations of the <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"5,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"39\"><span class=\"citation-145\">Sarkaria<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-145\"> and <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"5,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"52\"><span class=\"citation-145\">Punchhi Commissions<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-145\"> should be formally codified into a &#8220;Code of Conduct&#8221; or added as a <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"5,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"139\"><span class=\"citation-145\">New Schedule<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-145 citation-end-145\"> to the Constitution.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Strengthening the &#8220;Floor Test&#8221; Doctrine<\/strong>: <span class=\"citation-144\">The <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"4\"><span class=\"citation-144\">Supreme Court<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-144 citation-end-144\"> has repeatedly stated that the floor of the House is the only place to prove a majority:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mandatory Timelines:<\/strong> A standard &#8220;Floor Test&#8221; window (e.g., 48 to 72 hours) should be institutionalized to prevent the &#8220;buying of time&#8221; for horse-trading.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Physical Verification:<\/strong> Governors should be discouraged from demanding &#8220;physical parades&#8221; or &#8220;letters of support&#8221; at Raj Bhavan, instead, they should let the legislative process determine the majority.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reform in Appointment and Tenure<\/strong>: A Governor who is constantly worried about being removed by the Centre cannot remain neutral:\n<ul>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"11,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Security of Tenure:<\/b> As suggested by the <b data-path-to-node=\"11,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"40\">Punchhi Commission<\/b>, the phrase &#8220;during the pleasure of the President&#8221; should be replaced with a fixed 5-year term. <span class=\"citation-142 citation-end-142\">Removal should only be possible through a process similar to impeachment by the State Legislature.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b data-path-to-node=\"11,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Appointment Panel:<\/b> Instead of unilateral appointment by the Centre, a panel comprising the <b data-path-to-node=\"11,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"91\">Prime Minister, Speaker of Lok Sabha, and the Chief Minister of the concerned state<\/b> should select the Governor to ensure state-level consensus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Regulating the Discretionary Powers<\/strong>: It is imperative that the Governors exercise their discretionary powers in a bona fide manner. The recent Justice Kurian Joseph Committee report on Union-State Relations, constituted by TN government, recommended incorporating a new schedule into the Constitution to codify the rules governing the Governor&#8217;s use of discretionary powers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">UPSC GS-2: Indian Polity<br \/>\nRead More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/governors-role-in-government-formation-explained\/article70962222.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hindu<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections (2026), the Governor\u2019s role in government formation became a major constitutional and political issue because the verdict resulted in a hung Assembly. TVK emerged as the single largest party but initially lacked a clear majority in the Assembly. The Governor reportedly asked TVK to furnish support from&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/role-of-governor-in-government-formation-explained-pointwise\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Role of Governor in Government Formation &#8211; Explained Pointwise<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10391,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-362600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-pm","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10391"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362600\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}