TN govt formation: After Congress backs Vijay, section of AIADMK MLAs rally behind TVK

Shortly after the Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress decided to support actor-turned-politician Vijay and his party, a section of AIADMK MLAs expressed willingness to back Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in forming the government in the state.

Leema Rose Martin, who won from Lalgudi on an AIADMK ticket, said talks were under way on extending support to the TVK. Her son-in-law Aadhav Arjuna, who won from Villivakkam, is the general secretary of the TVK.

However, on May 5, former AIADMK minister O S Manian, after meeting party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, said the AIADMK would not support the TVK in forming the government.

The AIADMK, which finished third with 47 seats, has cancelled its meeting of MLAs-designate scheduled for Wednesday amid differences over extending external support to the TVK, which won 108 seats, including two by its founder Vijay.

DMK to elect Udhayanidhi Stalin as leader
The DMK, which won 59 seats on its own, has convened a meeting of its newly elected legislators on the evening of May 7. The party is likely to elect its youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin, who won from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, as its legislature party leader.

DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai criticised the Congress decision, saying the move to back the TVK and pledge the support of its five MLAs amounted to “backstabbing the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu.”

Congress offers support
The decision to support the TVK was taken at an urgent late-night meeting of the Congress Political Affairs Committee on Tuesday. Convened by AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar, the meeting was held virtually, with senior leaders backing Vijay.

Sources told PTI that the PAC unanimously resolved to extend support to Vijay to help form what it described as a “secular government” in Tamil Nadu. Earlier in the day, Congress leaders had indicated that Vijay had reached out seeking the party’s support. The central leadership then asked the state unit to take a final call, keeping in mind the mandate and public sentiment.

The Congress, which contested the Assembly elections in alliance with the DMK, maintained that the verdict favours a secular dispensation and reiterated its stand against allowing the BJP or its allies to come to power in the state.

The post-poll scenario was also discussed at a high-level meeting at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in New Delhi on Tuesday evening. The meeting was attended by Rahul Gandhi and Girish Chodankar, among others.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said Vijay had formally sought the party’s support to form the government. He added that the party remains committed to upholding a secular mandate and safeguarding constitutional values, and would not support any arrangement that enables the BJP or its allies to govern Tamil Nadu.

Venugopal said the party leadership had authorised the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee to take a final decision.

The Congress’ exit from its long-standing alliance with the DMK would mark a significant shift in the state’s political landscape, political analyst Sumanth Raman said.

He noted that while the Congress may be betting on the TVK as a long-term partner, the move carries risks as the party remains an unknown quantity.

The Congress won five seats. However, the DMK’s other allies — IUML, VCK, CPI, CPI (M) and DMDK — have categorically ruled out supporting the TVK.

As things stand, the TVK requires the support of 10 MLAs to reach the simple majority mark of 118 and form the government.

The PMK, which won four seats, and the AMMK, which won one — both allies of the AIADMK — are yet to announce their stand.

In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the TVK has emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats, but remains short of the 118 needed for a majority. Vijay needs the backing of at least 10 more MLAs to stake claim to power. The Congress has won five seats, while the PMK has secured four. The CPI and CPI (M) have two seats each. The DMK has won 59 seats, while the AIADMK has secured 47. The BJP, DMDK and AMMK have won one seat each, while the VCK has bagged two seats.

The Congress had contested the elections as part of a pre-poll alliance with the DMK, while the BJP was allied with the AIADMK.