Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) moved closer to forming the next government in Tamil Nadu after the Congress formally extended support to the party led by actor-turned-politician Vijay following its strong debut electoral performance.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Wednesday confirmed that the party had unanimously decided to support a government headed by TVK after the party secured 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Speaking to reporters, Chidambaram said the people of Tamil Nadu had clearly voted for a “secular change” and that the Congress would help TVK put together a stable majority.
“The Congress party has decided to support a government headed by the TVK,” Chidambaram said.
“TVK has got 108 seats. The people of Tamil Nadu want a formation to be headed by the TVK. It’s now incumbent upon the TVK to put together a workable majority, and they have reached out to the Congress party formally.”
He added, “It has been discussed in all appropriate forums of the party, and unanimously, the Congress party has decided to support a government headed by the TVK because we believe that the people of Tamil Nadu want a change, but they also want a change which is headed by the TVK, but is also a secular formation.”
“I think the people of Tamil Nadu are very clear that they want a secular formation. So we are only aiding and assisting the TVK to put together a secular and stable government in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
The Congress announcement came amid intense political activity in Chennai and New Delhi over the possibility of a post-poll alliance between TVK and Congress.
Earlier in the day, Congress state in-charge Girish Chodankar confirmed that the party had received a formal communication from TVK regarding support for government formation.
“We have called a press conference jointly by our PCC President, CLP leaders, and newly elected MLAs. At that time, we will talk to you in detail and brief you on the details of how we are moving forward,” Chodankar said.
“Everything will be updated at 11 o’clock at the Satyamurthy Bhawan. The party called everyone today; they have given the letter to our Congress President, Mr. Khargeji. That letter was discussed yesterday in Delhi,” he added.
The Congress on Thursday then formally announced its support to TVK and Vijay through an official communication issued by Tamil Nadu Congress leadership.
The letter, undersigned by Girish Chodankar, described the mandate received by TVK as “very clear, strong and overwhelming.”
“Accordingly, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) has decided to extend its full support to the TVK to form the government,” the letter stated.
However, the Congress also made it clear that its backing was tied to the exclusion of what it termed “communal forces” from the alliance.
“Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping out of this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India,” the statement said.
The Congress further said the alliance sought to revive the legacy of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Kamaraj while remaining committed to the social justice ideals associated with Periyar and the constitutional values championed by Dr B R Ambedkar.
“This alliance between the TVK and the Tamil Nadu Congress will strive to bring back Perunthalaivar Kamaraj’s glory days of Tamil Nadu, with a strong commitment to Thanthai Periyar’s social justice ideals and Dr. B R Ambedkar’s constitutional ideals in the years and decades to come,” the letter stated.
The party also indicated that the arrangement could continue beyond the immediate government formation process and extend into future electoral contests, including local body polls, Lok Sabha elections and Rajya Sabha elections.
“This alliance — founded on mutual respect, appropriate share, and shared responsibility between the two parties — is not only for the formation of this government, but also for future elections to the local body organisations, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha,” the Congress said.
The statement also referred to a joint political understanding between Vijay and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
“Mr. Vijay and Shri Rahul Gandhi jointly pledge to respect this historic verdict of the people of Tamil Nadu for a secular and progressive government, and to fulfil the dreams and promises of the people — especially the youth of Tamil Nadu,” the statement added.
TVK’s emergence has significantly altered Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with Vijay’s party outperforming both the DMK and AIADMK in its first major electoral outing.
Despite emerging as the single largest force with 108 seats, TVK still remains short of the 118-seat majority mark required to form the government on its own.
Political observers believe support from Congress and Left parties could help Vijay bridge part of the gap, though TVK may still require additional backing from smaller parties or independents.
There is also speculation that Vijay could explore other alliance possibilities, including support from the AIADMK, which has a larger seat tally than Congress and could potentially provide a more stable numerical arrangement.
Meanwhile, TVK chief Vijay has sought time to meet Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar as part of the process of staking claim to form the government, according to party sources.
Governor Arlekar has reportedly agreed to meet Vijay following TVK’s claim that it has secured the numbers required to form the next administration in Tamil Nadu.
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