Congress extends support to Vijay's TVK in Tamil Nadu, poses 'no communal forces in alliance' condition
PTC News Desk: In a major political twist, the Indian National Congress’s Tamil Nadu unit has decided to extend conditional support to actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which has emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly.
There, however, is a condition. The alliance must keep out the "communal forces," the Congress has demanded.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) have decided to extend their full support to the TVK to form the government, according to a statement by Girish Chodankar, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Tamil Nadu.
"Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping out from this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India," the statement added.
This marks a historic shift in Tamil Nadu politics, as the TVK defeated the long-dominant Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and pushed the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to third place—breaking a near six-decade-old Dravidian stronghold.
The resolution backing TVK was passed during a virtual Congress meeting to explore a post-poll alliance. With just five seats, Congress is also expected to negotiate for two Cabinet positions and a few key board chairmanships. A formal letter of support is likely to be issued soon, after which Congress MLAs are expected to meet Vijay at Panaiyur, the hub of TVK’s political operations.
The alliance discussions come as TVK falls 10 seats short of the majority mark of 118, making coalition-building essential. Sources indicate that communication between Congress and TVK leadership has already taken place, effectively sealing their partnership.
Meanwhile, TVK is also in talks with other parties, including the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, and Indian Union Muslim League, to shore up numbers for a stable coalition government.
If finalised, this coalition could significantly reshape the political landscape of the state and usher in a new era beyond the traditional two-party dominance.
- With inputs from agencies
