Congress: Vijay Asked Us For Support to Form Govt in Tamil Nadu, Final Decision With State Unit

New Delhi: Amid speculation over how the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) may form a new government in Tamil Nadu now that it has displaced the state's two Dravidian majors – but turned up ten seats short of an outright majority – the Congress on Tuesday (May 5) said that TVK chief Vijay has asked for its support to cobble together a government.

Congress MP K.C. Venugopal said that his party is “determined not to have the BJP and its proxies” run a government in Tamil Nadu but that the state Congress committee would take a final call on lending support to the TVK, prompting its ally in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to call it a group of “backstabbers”.

Vijay or the TVK have not publicly commented.

Formed just over two years ago, the TVK emerged the single largest party in Tamil Nadu when the votes cast in its assembly elections were counted on Monday, winning 108 of the state's 234 seats and ending the years-long pattern of either the DMK or its rival the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) coming out on top.

However the fledgling party is ten seats short of a majority and would need to patch together an alliance in order to cross the 118-seat mark and form a government. Since Vijay won from both the Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East constituencies that he contested, he will have to give up one of them, following which the other will undergo a bypoll sometime later.

The Congress, which fought the election as part of the DMK-led alliance, has won five seats.

Venugopal told reporters on Tuesday that Vijay “has requested the INC [Congress] for support to form a government in Tamil Nadu”. The Congress, he added, “is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit”. It is “determined not to have the BJP and [its] proxies run the government of Tamil Nadu in any manner”.

Now the Congress has directed its state unit to “take a final decision on [Vijay's] request, keeping in view the sentiments of the state reflected in the electoral verdict”, Venugopal continued.

While the ruling DMK was reduced to 59 seats from the 133 it won in 2021, its allies secured the following number of seats: the Congress won five; the Communist Party of India (CPI), the CPI (Marxist), the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Indian Union Muslim League won two each; and the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam won one.

Speaking to NDTV's Shiv Aroor on Tuesday night, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai called the Congress “backstabbers” for considering supporting the TVK.

“The five seats they've got is because they allied with us, otherwise they would have drawn a [blank],” said Annadurai, adding when asked if this meant the end of the DMK-Congress alliance that it was for the latter to decide.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M)'s Tamil Nadu secretary P. Shanmugam told The Hindu that the TVK has reached out to the Left party for support. The Indian Express reports citing the ADMK's Leema Rose Martin and sources in Vijay's party that the two sides are also engaged in talks. The ADMK is part of the National Democratic Alliance in which the BJP is also a member.

Vijay met TVK MLA designates on Tuesday. Earlier, on Monday, Congress leader and Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi congratulated him on the TVK's performance, with the actor-turned-politician responding on Tuesday with thanks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the TVK on Monday, with Vijay thanking him on Tuesday as well from his X account.

This article has been updated with more information.

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