 Summary of this article
- No Coalition Rule: DMK Draws Red Line on Power Sharing
- Congress Eyes More Seats After Strong Strike Rate in 2021
- DMK Signals Continuity, Favours 2021 Seat-Sharing Formula
The Congress party’s long-standing desperation in Tamil Nadu—being out of power for decades despite remaining part of the ruling front—has increasingly become an irritant within the DMK-led alliance. Attempts by a section of Congress leaders to explore an alignment with actor Vijay’s TVKhave not gone down well with the DMK, the senior partner. Although the party’s national leadership has firmly ruled out ditching the DMK and joining any alternative formation, not all state leaders appear convinced.
Within the state Congress, a section of leaders has begun to question whether continued subordination within the DMK-led front can ever yield a revival. Their exploratory moves towards actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) reflect less an ideological shift and more a search for political leverage in a crowded Dravidian-dominated space. These overtures, however tentative, have triggered unease within the DMK, which views any parallel channel-building by allies as a challenge to alliance discipline.
The latest flashpoint in the simmering war of words between the DMK and the Congress came from Madurai North MLA G. Thalapathi, who publicly dismissed the Congress as lacking organisational strength in Tamil Nadu. The remark drew a sharp response from Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee (TNPCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai, who urged the DMK leadership to rein in its leaders and prevent what he described as derogatory comments aimed at an alliance partner.
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The exchange underscores how tactical disagreements over power-sharing and seat allocation are increasingly spilling into the public domain, exposing the alliance's fragile equilibrium. While both parties continue to emphasise unity at the leadership level, such episodes reflect a growing impatience—particularly within the Congress—over its standing in the DMK-led front, and a corresponding assertiveness from DMK leaders keen to reaffirm the hierarchy within the coalition.
The national leadership of the Congress has publicly ruled out abandoning the DMK alliance, wary of the electoral risks of isolation and the lack of a viable alternative coalition in the state. Yet this position has not fully settled the debate within the Tamil Nadu unit. Even as dissenting voices have softened their public tone, the internal assessment remains stark: the Congress fears that its current role—limited seat-sharing, and near-total dependence on the DMK’s electoral machinery—offers no clear pathway to a political breakthrough. |
