Published May 06, 2026 | 11:16 PM ⚊ Updated May 06, 2026 | 11:54 PM
Political observers say the DMK is unlikely to tolerate the BJP, which is part of the AIADMK bloc.
Synopsis: Speculation about a possible DMK-AIADMK alliance reached fever pitch on Wednesday evening after Tamil Nadu acting Governor Rajendra Arlekar was reportedly unconvinced that the TVK could secure enough external support to reach a majority. Even though the DMK and AIADMK together have enough seats on paper, such an alliance is unlikely as differences among their constituent parties could effectively reduce their strength below the majority mark.
Hours after Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and staked his claim to form a government as leader of the single largest party, speculation about a possible alignment between the two major Dravidian rivals, the DMK and the AIADMK, reached fever pitch on the evening of Wednesday, 6 May.
Unconvinced by the TVK’s numbers, which still need at least six more MLA-elects to reach the magic number of 118 in the 234-member Assembly, Governor Arlekar reportedly refused to consent to Vijay’s swearing-in.
At the same time, several posts took social media by storm speculating that leaders from the DMK and the AIADMK may have been in covert conversations for a possible alternative formation. News channels flashing big headlines on DMK-AIADMK talks added fuel to the rumour mills.
Senior DMK leader and party spokesperson TKS Elangovan firmly denied the reports to South First.
“This is completely false. No such talks are happening. If we do something like this, how will people trust us again? The public themselves would reject us. So we will never do this,” he said.
Likewise, AIADMK functionary Singai Ramachandran said he was not aware of any such developments. South First is still awaiting responses to its queries from other senior AIADMK leaders.
Meanwhile, insiders handling public relations campaigns for the political parties told South First the rumours were deliberately floated by circles close to Vijay’s camp.
The alleged objective, they said, was to create pressure and confusion among parties such as the VCK and Left parties, which are still hesitant to extend support to the TVK.
At the same time, others claimed informal discussions had indeed taken place, with proposals allegedly suggesting Edappadi K. Palaniswami as Chief Minister and Udhayanidhi Stalin as Deputy Chief Minister. More sources from DMK deemed such conversation a “joke”.
Also Read: Is Tamil Nadu Governor Arlekar blocking Vijay’s swearing-in? What’s the hold up?
Of the 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, the TVK won 108 seats, the DMK alliance secured 73 seats, and the AIADMK alliance won 53 seats.
On the face of it, the combined tally of the two alliances led by the Dravidian parties is more than enough to form a government at 126 seats.
But the alliance dynamics make such a scenario unlikely. For a start, the DMK bloc has been reduced to 68 seats after the Congress left the alliance to support the TVK earlier on Wednesday.
Moreover, political observers say the DMK is unlikely to tolerate the BJP, which is part of the AIADMK bloc, in such an alliance.
Likewise, VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan has already made it clear that his party will not remain in any alliance that includes the PMK, another AIADMK ally.
Further, it was the BJP that earlier brought the PMK into the NDA fold. It is also seen as the force behind the inclusion of the AMMK, led by T.T.V. Dhinakaran. This means that if the AIADMK ditches the BJP, it could also lose the PMK’s four MLAs and the AMMK’s lone MLA.
That would leave the two blocs with a combined strength of just 115 MLA-elects, still short of the 118 needed for a majority. Further, once the Speaker’s position is factored in, the effective tally would fall to 114.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
