TamilNadu: The Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress party on Tuesday unanimously decided to support the actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form government in the state, according to news agency citing sources.
TVK emerged as the single-largest party in Tamil Nadu elections 2026 with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly.
The Vijay-led TVK fell 10 seats short of the majority as forming a government in the state needs 118 seats (majority mark).
In a historic victory, the TVK on Monday defeated the incumbent DMK and relegated the AIADMK to third spot, marking the first decisive break in Tamil Nadu’s long-standing Dravidian duopoly in nearly six decades.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President K Selvaperunthagai chaired a late-night virtual meeting with party MLAs and senior leaders to discuss the possibility of extending support to TVK. According to the Tamil Nadu Congress, the Google Meet session involved detailed discussions on the evolving political scenario in the state and the strategic implications of aligning with the TVK.
Earlier, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal had also confirmed that Vijay had sought Congress’ support in Tamil Nadu. Venugopal also said that the party leadership has directed the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee to take a final decision.
According to India Today, the resolution was passed during a virtual meeting held to discuss a potential alliance with the two-year-old party. Sources said the Congress, which secured five seats in the 2026 Assembly elections, is likely to seek two Cabinet positions along with a few chairmanships of government boards.
The Congress backing TVK signals a significant shift not only in Tamil Nadu politics but also at the national level, where it is allied with the MK Stalin-led DMK within the INDIA bloc. This development may compel Opposition parties to reassess their equations and strategy ahead of the 2029 General Elections.
If materialize, the Congress’ decision could potentially disrupt the INDIA opposition bloc in Tamil Nadu and strain its 22-year-long alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
A formal letter of support from the Congress is expected to be issued on Wednesday. Subsequently, Congress MLAs are likely to meet Vijay at Panaiyur, where the TVK’s political operations are currently based.
On May 4, the TVK achieved a historic breakthrough in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, emerging as the single-largest party. Falling 10 short of the majority mark, party is now seeking support from smaller parties across both the DMK and AIADMK camps.
The Congress holds five seats, the PMK has four, while the CPI, CPI(M), and VCK have two seats each. These parties are likely to extend their support to the Vijay-led formation.
Leave a Reply