New Delhi, March 2: L.K. Advani prefers talking about 2005, not 2000 when a Jharkhand-like drama unfolded in Bihar.

The then Bihar governor, Vinod Pande, who was appointed by the BJP-led government at the Centre, had sworn Nitish Kumar in as chief minister, though Laloo Prasad Yadav?s Rashtriya Janata Dal had one MLA more than that of the rival camp.

?Why talk of 2000? Talk of 2005,? Advani said on Wednesday, reminded of the upheaval five years ago.

Political compulsions might have forced the BJP president to deflect attention from the perception that all parties have used governors as kingmakers.

However, with elections increasingly throwing up fractured mandates and hung Houses, stirrings of a debate are emerging on the political landscape. At the receiving end of one Raj Bhavan or the other at some point of time, many politicians feel that a discussion on evolving guidelines on government formation should begin.

In 1996, when the Lok Sabha verdict was divided, the then President, Shankar Dayal Sharma, invited the BJP to form the government because it was the single largest party. However, Atal Bihari Vajpayee could not cobble together the numbers and resigned after 13 days.

In 1998, Sharma?s successor, K.R. Narayanan, adopted the principle of inviting the largest pre-poll alliance ? again the NDA ? after it offered letters of support.

Vajpayee had his share of anxiety when a major constituent, Jayalalithaa?s ADMK, sent its letter only after driving a hard bargain for ministerial berths.

BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley said three general principles should be adhered to: invite the single largest party or the largest pre-poll alliance or the party/combination that has the best chance to run a stable government.

Asked to comment on the often controversial roles governors played, Jaitley said: ?The governor constitutes an office founded on good faith. He or she must act within the framework of the law.?

Congress spokesperson and lawyer Abhishek Singhvi said: ?Human situations, especially during fluid political situations, cannot be straitjacketed or reduced to a set of legal rules covering every contingency. These matters must be left to the discretion of constitutional functionaries. Ultimately they are accountable to the Constitution and the people who elect them.?

Asked to comment on the role of governors, he said: ?If anyone falters, in the long run popular retribution is not far away.?

Like Singhvi, CPM Rajya Sabha member Nilotpal Basu felt there cannot be ?structured rules?.

?It is difficult to have clear-cut solutions to very complex questions. All subjective factors cannot be eliminated,? said Basu.

In the case of Jharkhand, he said, people were ?influenced? by the NDA?s initial claim of support and stressed that the governor was well within his right to examine the veracity of the claim.