Published May 06, 2026 | 7:32 AM ⚊ Updated May 06, 2026 | 7:32 AM
K Selvaperunthagai. (Facebook)
Synopsis: The Congress is likely to extend support to the actor-turned-politician Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to form the government in Tamil Nadu, said sources within the party. It has raised a condition that no support should be sought from the BJP or its alliance partners under any circumstances.
The Congress is likely to extend support to the actor-turned-politician Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government in Tamil Nadu, said sources within the state leadership of the party on Wednesday, 6 May.
Sources added that the Congress has raised a condition that no support should be sought from the BJP or its alliance partners under any circumstances. Congress sources confirmed the development, adding that an official announcement is expected shortly.
The TVK is the single largest party with 108 seats, but is 11 short of the halfway mark. Vijay has started talks with the Congress and other parties in the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance to bridge the gap and secure the numbers to form the government.
On Tuesday, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal had said the party’s Tamil Nadu unit will take the final call on support to the TVK.
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An earlier meeting chaired by Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai authorised the party’s central leadership to decide on alliances. But the high command sent the matter back to the state unit, suggesting the decision will likely turn on local political considerations.
Notably, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was among the first to congratulate Vijay over the phone after the result. He did not, however, comment publicly on the DMK’s defeat, the Congress’s principal ally.
In his first public statement since his party emerged as the single largest formation, Vijay thanked Gandhi for the congratulatory message.
“My sincere thanks to the Honorable Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha for the call and kind wishes! We shall remain committed to excellence in public service, and preserving the cultural ethos of our state which requires collective cooperation. Beyond politics, we shall prioritize for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu,” Vijay wrote in a post on X.
He was responding to Gandhi’s earlier post congratulating Vijay on “TVK’s spectacular result”. “This mandate reflects the rising voice of youth which cannot, and will not, be ignored,” Gandhi added.
For the first time since 1967, Tamil Nadu is headed towards the possibility of a government led by a party outside the two dominant Dravidian parties: the DMK and the AIADMK.
(With inputs from Subash Chandra Bose.)
