Tamil Nadu is likely to witness the emergence of a new political front led by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. A meeting of the TVK and its friendly parties held on Wednesday at a hotel in Kovalam on the outskirts of Chennai decided to convert their informal tie-up into a formal electoral alliance.
The meeting, chaired by TVK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, was attended by Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president and MP B. Manickam Tagore, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, MDMK leader Vaiko, IUML president K.M. Kader Mohideen, and senior TVK functionaries.
Leaders of the Left parties did not attend the meeting, stating that they are not formally part of the government and are extending only outside support. However, they separately met the chief minister earlier in the day to reiterate their support to the alliance.
Manickam Tagore told reporters after the meeting that the parties discussed three key proposals: the formation of a coordination committee, drafting a common minimum programme, and finalising an official name for the proposed alliance.
He said a final decision on these proposals would be taken at the next meeting, which is expected to be held soon.
Congress leaders claim that the alignment is based on shared ideological positions, particularly on secularism, which they believe could form the foundation of a broader coalition.
VCK general secretary D. Ravikumar said Vijay informed the allied parties that he had shortlisted three possible names for the alliance. He added that these names would be discussed further with partner parties before a final decision is taken.
If formalised, the alliance could significantly reshape Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, long dominated by the Dravidian majors—the DMK and the AIADMK.
The realignment follows the Assembly election results in which TVK emerged as a significant force, winning 108 seats—just 10 short of the majority mark.
The Congress was the first to exit the DMK-led bloc and extend support to TVK to form the government. It was later joined by the VCK, IUML, CPI, and CPI(M), all of which had previously been part of the DMK alliance. Vaiko’s MDMK was the most recent to leave the DMK camp and join hands with Vijay.
The proposed alliance’s immediate focus will be the upcoming Assembly bypolls in seven constituencies. Six vacancies arose after the resignations of AIADMK legislators, while the Tiruchirappalli East seat fell vacant after Vijay, who had won from two constituencies, chose to retain the Perambur seat in Chennai.
The other constituencies going to bypolls are Karur, Maduranthakam, Perundurai, Dharapuram, Ambasamudram, and Viralimalai.
