Actor-politician Vijay, president of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, waves to supporters in Chennai. (Reuters)
Speculation has been rife in political circles since Wednesday morning that the TVK, which requires 10 more seats to reach the majority mark, could explore an alliance with the Congress. The buzz follows Congress general secretary KC Venugopal’s May 5 remarks in Delhi that Vijay had sought his party’s support for government formation and that the leadership had asked the state unit to take a final decision.
Actor-politician Vijay-led TVK has won 108 of the 234 Assembly seats, just short of the 118 required for a majority. The party needs support either from smaller parties or a major player like the AIADMK to prove its strength on the floor of the House.
“So, there is momentum which is happening. So, the ball is in Mr Vijay’s court. He has to make a conscious decision whether he wants to complete the term of five years or he wants to try and do some exercise of taking many more parties into his confidence. So it is up to him. The ball is in Mr Vijay’s court,” AIADMK national spokesperson Kovai Sathyan told reporters.
In a parallel development, TVK leaders, including general secretary N Anand and general secretary (election campaign management) Aadhav Arjuna, reportedly met AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami at his residence in Chennai on Wednesday, fuelling further speculation of a possible tie-up.
When asked whether AIADMK had initiated talks or responded to an approach by TVK, Sathyan said, “There is some momentum happening. The Governor has asked for more clarity on the number of MLAs. We will wait for that. What the Governor’s office says is final. There are some developments happening from the Governor’s office as well.”
He also dismissed any internal differences within the AIADMK over a potential alliance. “Absolutely there is no difference of opinion and the high command decision is final. The high command will take a call soon,” he said.
On May 5, newly elected AIADMK MLA Leema Rose from Lalgudi in Tiruchirappalli had confirmed that discussions were underway. “Yes. Talks between AIADMK and TVK are going on. I hope it will conclude on a positive note,” she said.
The AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had contested the April 23 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. Vijay, throughout his campaign, targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), calling it an “ideological enemy” of the TVK, while describing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as its “political enemy”.
If an AIADMK-TVK alliance materialises, it could raise questions over the future of the AIADMK’s ties with the BJP, adding a new dimension to the state’s evolving political landscape.
