Now, AIADMK planning to support Vijay's TVK, join government

Vijay's TVK has intensified efforts to secure power in Tamil Nadu after emerging as the single largest party with 108 seats in the fractured Assembly verdict. AIADMK sources told India Today that the party is now planning to support TVK, with senior leaders said to be backing the move internally.

In Short

• Vijay's TVK seeks AIADMK support to form Tamil Nadu government
• AIADMK sees internal rift over backing TVK post poor poll performance
• Congress formally supports TVK, says aiming for a secular coalition

Hours after reports of internal differences within the AIADMK over backing TVK surfaced, Vijay’s party on Wednesday formally reached out to AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami by sending a letter to his residence seeking support to form the government. Sources told India Today that the AIADMK leadership is now actively considering backing Vijay as the TVK chief attempts to secure the numbers needed to take power in Tamil Nadu.

Earlier, sources said that an AIADMK faction led by Rajya Sabha MP CV Shanmugam had attempted to mobilise support among some MLAs to potentially back TVK, which emerged as the single largest party in the just-concluded Tamil Nadu elections with 108 seats but fell short of the majority mark of 118.

The rapid political developments are now seen as increasing pressure on EPS to take a call on supporting Vijay’s party amid signs of internal differences within the AIADMK.

Meanwhile, AIADMK sources told India Today that a vehicle linked to TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna reached EPS’s residence on Wednesday with the letter seeking support. However, sources clarified that neither Aadhav Arjuna nor TVK general secretary Bussy Anand was present at the time.

Sources within the AIADMK also indicated that the party is currently inclined towards offering support to a potential TVK-led government rather than formally joining the administration. According to them, senior AIADMK leaders CV Shanmugam and SP Velumani are among those backing the move internally.

However, the AIADMK camp has also come under pressure after the Congress formally backed TVK for government formation. In its statement, the Congress said its support to Vijay’s party would be conditional on “keeping out any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India” from the alliance. Though the party did not name the AIADMK directly, the remark is being viewed in political circles as an apparent reference to parties previously aligned with the NDA.

Congress backs Vijay's TVK and seeks an "appropriate share" in Tamil Nadu's new government. But what does the vote share actually look like? Six assembly polls in one pie, 2001 to 2026. TVK landed 34.92% on debut, the upset of the cycle.

COALITION TALKS GATHER PACE AFTER FRACTURED MANDATE

The post-election political landscape in Tamil Nadu has witnessed rapid shifts since the Assembly election results were announced on Monday, with multiple parties exploring possible alliances and power-sharing arrangements in the event of a hung Assembly.

While Vijay’s debut election performance was historic, TVK remained 10 seats short of the majority mark despite emerging as the largest party in the 234-member Assembly.

With no single formation securing a clear mandate, TVK has been compelled to broaden its outreach and engage multiple stakeholders in an effort to secure the outside support needed to form the government.

CONGRESS EXTENDS SUPPORT TO TVK

Parallelly, the Congress has moved swiftly to position itself alongside Vijay. The Tamil Nadu Congress has formally announced its support to TVK in forming what it described as a “secular government”. The decision was taken during an urgent meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee convened by Girish Chodankar.

Top Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, also discussed the evolving political situation in Tamil Nadu during a meeting in New Delhi.

Addressing the media, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, “TVK President Thiru Vijay has requested the Indian National Congress for support to form a Government in Tamil Nadu”.

The Congress is also understood to be reaching out to smaller parties, including Left parties, the VCK and IUML, to consolidate support behind Vijay and prevent any competing alignment from taking shape.

AIADMK FACES INTERNAL CHURN

Within the AIADMK, the ongoing developments have triggered intense internal discussions, especially after the party’s disappointing electoral performance under EPS’s leadership.

The AIADMK, which secured 47 seats, finished behind both TVK and the DMK in the election. The latest developments have fuelled speculation over whether sections within the party believe supporting Vijay could help the AIADMK remain politically relevant in a rapidly changing political landscape.

At the same time, signs of differences within the party have also surfaced, with not all leaders believed to be on board with extending support to TVK, a party that directly challenged both Dravidian majors in the election.

As coalition talks continue behind closed doors, the coming days are expected to be crucial in determining whether Vijay can successfully cross the majority mark and form the next government in Tamil Nadu.

TAMIL NADU'S FRACTURED MANDATE

The Tamil Nadu Assembly election threw up a fractured mandate, dramatically altering the state’s traditional political equations.

Vijay’s TVK emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly. The DMK led by outgoing Chief Minister MK Stalin secured 59 seats, while the AIADMK won 47.

Congress won five seats, PMK four, while CPI and CPI(M) secured two seats each. Smaller parties, including DMDK, AMMK and BJP, won one seat each, while the VCK secured two seats.

Tamil Nadu voted in a single phase on April 23, recording a historic voter turnout of nearly 85 per cent. The results were declared on May 4.

- Ends