Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram clarified that the party informed its former ally, the DMK, before pledging support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-politician Vijay, which secured 108 seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, falling ten seats short of a majority. Chidambaram stated this move was to prevent a potential re-election, a sentiment shared by alliance partners and the public, and that other former DMK allies including the VCK, IUML, CPI, and CPI(M) subsequently joined the TVK-led bloc after being informed of the Congress's decision, though the Congress announced its support first. This decision had drawn accusations of "betrayal" from the DMK's youth wing, while DMK chief M.K. Stalin later indicated his party allowed its former allies to support the TVK government to avert President's rule.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram clarified that the party informed its former ally, the DMK, before pledging support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-politician Vijay, which secured 108 seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, falling ten seats short of a majority. Chidambaram stated this move was to prevent a potential re-election, a sentiment shared by alliance partners and the public, and that other former DMK allies including the VCK, IUML, CPI, and CPI(M) subsequently joined the TVK-led bloc after being informed of the Congress's decision, though the Congress announced its support first. This decision had drawn accusations of "betrayal" from the DMK's youth wing, while DMK chief M.K. Stalin later indicated his party allowed its former allies to support the TVK government to avert President's rule.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram clarified that the party informed its former ally, the DMK, before pledging support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-politician Vijay, which secured 108 seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, falling ten seats short of a majority. Chidambaram stated this move was to prevent a potential re-election, a sentiment shared by alliance partners and the public, and that other former DMK allies including the VCK, IUML, CPI, and CPI(M) subsequently joined the TVK-led bloc after being informed of the Congress's decision, though the Congress announced its support first. This decision had drawn accusations of "betrayal" from the DMK's youth wing, while DMK chief M.K. Stalin later indicated his party allowed its former allies to support the TVK government to avert President's rule.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram stated that the party had informed its former ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), before extending support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government in Tamil Nadu.

The Congress was the first party to back the TVK, led by actor-politician Vijay, which won 108 seats—10 short of the majority mark—in the recent assembly elections. Subsequently, the VCK, IUML, CPI, and CPI(M)—all former DMK allies—joined the new bloc.

"We want to prevent another election if TVK fails to secure a majority in the House. This was a wider sentiment among alliance partners. Even the people do not want another election," Chidambaram told a TV channel.

He added that the Congress had also informed other alliance partners, including the CPI, VCK, and IUML, about its decision to support the TVK government, and all these parties later extended their support to Vijay.

"The only difference is that we announced our support to TVK one day before the other allies did," he said.

The Congress’s decision to back Vijay had drawn sharp criticism from the DMK, with the party’s youth wing, led by Udhayanidhi Stalin, holding a meeting and passing a resolution accusing Congress of "betrayal."

The Congress has five MLAs in the 234-member assembly, while the VCK, IUML, CPI, and CPI(M) have two MLAs each.

On Saturday, DMK chief M.K. Stalin said his party had allowed the alliance partners to support the TVK in government formation to prevent the imposition of President's rule in the state.

"This government is functioning today thanks to the support of the parties that were part of our alliance—parties that aligned with us because they believed the DMK should come to power," he said.