Fissures have become evident in the alliance between the Congress and TDP over support for actor-turned-politician Vijay, with the grand old party officially announcing its support to TVK to form the new government in Tamil Nadu.
Vijay’s stunning performance in the recent 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections seems to have weighed on the alliance between the two parties, with the DMK going to the extent of calling the Congress a “backstabber”.
Member of Parliament Karti Chidambaram appeared to respond to the charge, clarifying on Wednesday that the party was supporting “secular change” in Tamil Nadu, with people in the state voting for it. Chidambaram stressed that the decision was taken unanimously in party forums to help TVK bridge the gap to reach majority and ensure stable secular administration.
“The Congress Party decided to support a government headed by TVK… TVK got 108 seats. The people of Tamil Nadu want a formation headed by TVK. Now TVK has to form a workable majority, and they have approached the Congress Party formally. This has been discussed in all the appropriate forums of the party, and unanimously, the Congress Party has decided to support a government headed by TVK because we believe that the people of Tamil Nadu want change, but they also want change headed by TVK, but it is also a secular formation.” “I think the people of Tamil Nadu are very clear in their desire for a secular formation, so we are only helping and aiding TVK to form a secular and stable government in Tamil Nadu.”
DMK says Vijay ‘close to BJP’
DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai He had earlier questioned the connection between TVK and Congress, insinuating that Vijay’s outfit is “close to the BJP”.
“TVK has never spoken a single word against the BJP or Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In fact, Vijay’s first thanks today are not to the people of the state who elected him, not to his voters who elected him, not to his members who worked with him to elect him. His first thanks are to Prime Minister Modi. And Rahul Gandhi wants to support this kind of person?” Saravanan said, citing Vijay X’s post in which he thanks Prime Minister Modi and Rahul Gandhi for their wishes for his election victory.
He added, “When we talk about an alliance, the India Alliance, it is an alliance based on ideology.”
Later, speaking to ANI, Saravanan wished Vijay good luck, but redoubled his efforts at the conference.
“We wish Vihai good luck when he takes oath on May 7. Congress has offered its support to TVK, that’s why we’re calling it ‘backstabbing’… Congress has decided to reverse its position and support TVK, and the reasons they have given are not convincing. They are saying they want to keep BJP and RSS at bay, that’s why this call should be made… This is a sincere decision by Congress, which is likely to send ripples through ‘If there are other alliance partners, if Congress is not trustworthy, within With only one day of results, they are openly contradicting the mandate. What impact will this create in the minds of Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray and all the others? “
Congress sets a condition for supporting TVK
On Wednesday, Congress agreed to support Vijay to form a government in Tamil Nadu, but set a condition. The party said it was ready to support Vijay, but the support would be “conditional on TVK keeping out of this alliance any sectarian forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India.”
Vijay has formally requested the grand old party to extend support to form a government in the state, the Congress said in a letter.
“The people of Tamil Nadu, especially the youth, have given a very clear, strong and overwhelming verdict on a secular, progressive and welfare government that believes in constitutional principles. They have chosen Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) led by Mr. Vijay to form the next government,” the Congress said in the letter.
She added that it is the “constitutional duty” of Congress to respect the mandate of the people in the state. “The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and Congress Legislative Party (CLP) have decided to extend their full support to TVK to form the government,” the statement read.
