Tamil Nadu’s unsettled verdict has pushed the DMK’s smaller allies into the centre of government-formation talks after VCK and Left party leaders met Chief Minister M K Stalin to discuss whether they should back C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.Stalin is understood to have told the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, CPI and CPI leaderships that they were free to decide their position on TVK’s request on the basis of their political interests, rather than treating the issue as a binding DMK alliance decision. The move gives the smaller parties room to negotiate with Vijay’s fledgling outfit while allowing the DMK to avoid an immediate rupture with partners whose support could shape the next administration.
TVK has emerged as the single-largest party in the 234-member Assembly with 108 seats, ten short of the 118 needed for a simple majority. The Congress has offered support, taking Vijay closer to the halfway mark, but not enough to settle the numbers without additional backing. That has made the VCK and the Left crucial to the calculations now unfolding in Chennai.
The stalemate has deepened after Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar did not immediately invite Vijay to form the government. Vijay has indicated readiness to face a floor test, while his party maintains that the Assembly, not Raj Bhavan, should be the forum to prove majority support. TVK leaders argue that the people’s mandate has placed them ahead of the Dravidian parties and that a delay in inviting the party leader would distort the verdict.
VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan has taken a position sympathetic to Vijay’s claim, saying the TVK leader should be allowed to take oath and establish his majority on the floor of the House. The Left parties, however, face a more complicated choice. Their long association with the DMK, their opposition to the AIADMK-BJP alignment and their ideological reservations about personality-driven politics have made the decision politically sensitive.
One scenario discussed in political circles involves the DMK and AIADMK exploring an extraordinary understanding to prevent TVK from forming the government. Such an arrangement would mark a dramatic departure in Tamil Nadu politics, where the two Dravidian rivals have alternated as principal adversaries for decades. The arithmetic is difficult but not impossible if smaller parties align, though public acceptance of such a pact would be uncertain.
The DMK won 59 seats and the AIADMK 47. Together they would still fall short of a majority, making the VCK, CPI, CPI, IUML, PMK and smaller formations important to any alternative arrangement. The AIADMK has publicly denied suggestions that it would support Vijay, while sections within the DMK have signalled unease over any move that could be seen as helping a rival backed by the BJP-led alliance structure.
For Stalin, the decision to give allies a free hand reflects both caution and political necessity. A firm instruction to block TVK could expose the DMK to criticism that it is disregarding the mandate. A formal endorsement of Vijay, on the other hand, could accelerate TVK’s rise as the principal challenger to the Dravidian order. Allowing the VCK and Left parties to make their own decision buys time and spreads responsibility across the alliance.
Vijay’s rise has unsettled established calculations in Tamil Nadu. TVK, launched two years ago, has converted his film-star following into a broad electoral force, cutting into traditional vote banks and presenting itself as an alternative to both major Dravidian formations. Its performance has created a hung Assembly and placed the first-term party at the threshold of power.
The Congress decision to support TVK has sharpened tensions within the old opposition camp. Congress leaders have criticised the delay in inviting Vijay and warned against attempts to keep the single-largest party away from office through backroom manoeuvres. That posture has placed the party at odds with any DMK-AIADMK understanding and raised questions over the future of its relationship with Stalin’s party.