Last Updated:
If Congress has already chosen Vijay over Stalin in Tamil Nadu, bringing TVK into the front could prevent the alliance from losing its footprint in a politically significant state
For the Grand Old Party, actor-turned-politician Vijay comes with several benefits. (X @RahulGandhi)
A month after backing Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government in Tamil Nadu—a decision that triggered a bitter rupture with its long-time ally DMK—the Congress appears ready to take the relationship a step further. Amid a deepening crisis within the INDIA blocNews18 has learnt that party leaders have reportedly suggested the TVK be invited to the opposition alliance’s June 8 meeting in Delhi.
The proposal comes at a time when the bloc is facing one of its most turbulent phases yet. The DMK has announced it will skip the meeting and its spokesperson, TKS Elangovan, has declared that it is no longer part of the alliance.
In a statement, the party said: “DMK cadres were upset at Congress betraying the party after the assembly election. To give respect to their sentiments, DMK will not participate in the INDIA bloc meeting. In short, DMK will not participate in the meeting in which Congress participates.”
ALSO READ | The INDIA Bloc Question After Mamata’s Bengal Debacle: Who Leads The Opposition Now?
Tensions with other regional partners have further exposed cracks within the opposition front as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has distanced itself and ties between Congress and the Trinamool Congress remain strained.
Against this backdrop, the push to bring Vijay into the INDIA fold is about more than replacing a departing ally. It raises a larger question about the future of opposition politics: as traditional alliance equations crumble and new political players gain ground, could Vijay emerge as the new face, and perhaps the new glue, holding together an increasingly fragmented opposition?
Why The Discussion?
The INDIA bloc is facing perhaps its biggest crisis since its formation, and the immediate trigger is Tamil Nadu.
After the 2026 assembly election threw up a fractured verdict, Vijay’s TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats. Congress, which won five seats, chose to support TVK in government formation instead of staying with its long-time ally DMK. Support from Left parties and other allies eventually helped Vijay cross the majority mark in the 234-member Assembly.
ALSO READ | From ‘Dilli Chalo’ To Bengal Blow: Mamata Stumbles At Home, What Next For INDIA Bloc Now?
The decision left the DMK fuming. DMK leaders accused Congress of “betrayal” and “backstabbing”, arguing that the national party abandoned a key INDIA bloc ally for political convenience.
DMK Is Now Effectively Out
The rupture is no longer symbolic. The DMK has announced that it will not attend the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for June 8 in Delhi.
The party has also sought separate seating from Congress in the Lok Sabhawith Speaker Om Birla approving the request. DMK leaders said it would be inappropriate to continue sitting alongside Congress after the alliance ended.
For the opposition coalition, this is no minor loss. The DMK has been among the largest and most influential regional parties in the INDIA bloc. It currently has 22 Lok Sabha MPs and was one of the alliance’s most vocal anti-BJP voices.
Enter Vijay
As the DMK exits, Congress leaders have reportedly suggested that TVK should be invited to the INDIA bloc meeting.
The logic is straightforward. If Congress has already chosen Vijay over Stalin in Tamil Nadu, bringing TVK into the national opposition framework could prevent the alliance from losing its footprint in one of India’s most politically significant states.
ALSO READ | Effective Coalition Or Paper Tiger? The Split Reality Of The Anti-BJP INDIA Bloc
According to The Statesman, TVK is increasingly being viewed as a potential replacement for the DMK within the opposition coalition and may participate in discussions involving around 15 opposition parties.
Why Does Congress Want Vijay?
For the Grand Old Party, the actor-turned-politician comes with several benefits.
1. He Has Electoral Momentum: Unlike many opposition leaders currently fighting defensive battles, Vijay is coming off a major victory.
TVK not only broke the decades-long dominance of the DMK-AIADMK duopoly but also formed the government in its very first Assembly election. In a bloc increasingly searching for success stories, Vijay is one of the few leaders with fresh electoral legitimacy, say political experts.
2. Unscarred By Opposition Infighting: The INDIA bloc has spent much of the past year battling internal contradictions.
With AAP keeping away and Trinamool and Congress bickering over state vs national ambitions, the latest DMK-Congress breakup has only worsened matters. In such a scenario, Vijay enters the landscape without historical baggage.
3. Southern Anchor: The opposition’s strongest regional pillars have traditionally come from southern India. With the DMK leaving, Congress risks losing one of its biggest southern allies. Bringing TVK into the fold could help fill that vacuum.
But Can Vijay Really Become The Bloc’s ‘Glue’?
That may be a stretch.
The INDIA bloc’s challenges extend far beyond Tamil Nadu. The coalition includes parties with competing ambitions in West Bengal, Punjab, Delhi, Kerala and elsewhere. Many of those contradictions have little to do with Vijay.
Moreover, TVK itself remains a young political organisation whose strength is concentrated almost entirely in Tamil Nadu.
Even Vijay’s own rhetoric since becoming chief minister has focused heavily on state rights, federalism and Tamil Nadu-centric issues rather than national coalition-building. In his first major rally after taking office, he declared there would be “no compromise on state’s rights” and framed Tamil Nadu politics as a contest between TVK and the DMK.
That suggests a leader focused first on consolidating his state-level mandate.
A Symbol More Than A Solution?
For now, Vijay may be more important as a symbol than as a coalition manager.
The Congress decision to back TVK has already reshaped Tamil Nadu politics and triggered the most serious crisis within the INDIA bloc since its formation.
Inviting Vijay to the June 8 meeting would signal that Congress has fully committed to its new Tamil Nadu strategy and is prepared to reorganise the opposition alliance around emerging leaders rather than legacy partners.
Whether that helps revive the INDIA bloc or merely accelerates its transformation remains unclear.
What is clear is that a coalition once built around leaders like MK Stalin, Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee is now debating a bigger role for a former film superstar who entered electoral politics only recently. That shows how dramatically the opposition landscape has changed in 2026.
About the Author
Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University’s Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, …Read More
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
