India, May 8 -- Here's what should have happened in Chennai: Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar should have invited C Joseph Vijay of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which emerged as the single-largest party in the Tamil Nadu assembly, to form the government in the state, giving him a week or two to prove his majority on the floor of the House. There's enough precedence and also established jurisprudence to indicate that this is how things should have gone down. Instead, the Governor seems to have taken it upon himself - there are no rival claimants because no one else comes as close to the halfway mark in the House by numbers as the TVK does - to insist that Vijay (the popular actor is better known by his mononym) prove that he has the requisite numbers before being invited to form the government. The Governor is allowed discretion in such a scenario and the judiciary has suggested a "prima facie" assessment of majority. But using this grey zone, the Governor's action has caused unnecessary confusion in the government formation process. Sure, Vijay is short of the majority mark even with the support of the Congress, but it was very likely that smaller parties would have rallied around him (the TVK needs 5-6 seats to cross the halfway mark) had he been invited to form the government. Now, the uncertainty following the Governor's action (or inaction) could create ideal circumstances for cynical horse trading and, possibly, mischief. Given that Governors have been more than happy to go by the book in the past, and considering that current residents of Lok Bhavans around the country rarely do anything without checking with New Delhi, questions will (and should) be asked about Arlekar's reasons for not inviting the TVK. After all, the national political hegemon, the Bharatiya Janata Party, is an insignificant player in Tamil Nadu, not just in terms of seats, but also in vote share. If the TVK approaches the Supreme Court, the outcome is, again, a given, and the wise men in Chennai's Lok Bhavan and New Delhi know this - which only adds more mystery to Arlekar's reluctance. Still, it is very much in keeping with how the relationship of Lok Bhavans with state governments not formed by the BJP or its allies has played out....