India, May 7 -- The delicate constitutional balance between the governor's discretion and the democratic right of a single-largest party to attempt government formation has once again come into sharp focus in Tamil Nadu, where TVK president Vijay met governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar for the second consecutive day on Thursday amid continuing uncertainty over who should be invited to form the next government.

The developments have revived an old constitutional debate that has repeatedly travelled to the Supreme Court over the last three decades: can a governor insist on proof of majority before inviting a party to form the government, or should the single largest party automatically get the first opportunity and prove its strength late...