'The Dravidian parties wanted to prevent the TVK from forming a government.'
The polling for the Tamil Nadu Elections will take place on Thursday, April 23, 2026. Out of the 294 assembly seats, 152 seats in West Bengal will go to polls in the first phase on Thursday.
Allies DMK and Congress have finalised their seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, resolving earlier tensions over power-sharing demands.
The Vanniyar vote can tip the balance in 70 to 75 assembly constituencies of the 234 in the state, mainly in the Ranipet, Vellore, Thiruppathur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Arani, Villupuram and Kallakurichi districts.
Actor Vijay's TVK party, despite being the single largest party in Tamil Nadu, has approached the Supreme Court seeking a directive for the Governor to invite them to form the government.
'The AIADMK front comes second, and then the TVK.'
Actor Vijay has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, marking a significant shift in the state's political landscape. His party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), secured a notable victory in its debut election, ending the dominance of DMK and AIADMK.
The high-intensity election campaign in Tamil Nadu concluded with accusations and counter-accusations between the DMK and AIADMK, while new entrant TVK made its presence felt. Key issues included state autonomy, corruption, law and order, and the delimitation bill.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay is scheduled to take the oath of office as the state's new Chief Minister on May 7. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor stadium in Chennai.
'Even if they align with the TVK now, I don't think the AIADMK leadership will completely surrender to the dominance of Vijay.'
Whether he comes to power or not, both his admirers and opponents agree on one thing -- Vijay may well turn out to be the 'X factor'.
Tamil Nadu will elect a new government on April 23.
Will the DMK retain power? Can the AIADMK spring a surprise? And what about Vijay's TVK? A Ganesh Nadar surveys the election landscape a day after the Election Commission announced the poll schedule.
Voting has commenced for the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, with over 3.60 crore electors eligible to vote in 152 constituencies in Bengal and 5.73 crore voters in Tamil Nadu. Security measures are heightened to ensure free and fair polling.
'The AIADMK and DMK have 75% of the total votes. 25% of the voters do not support the two majors,' says DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai.
The DMDK officially joined the DMK-led alliance ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections, marking a significant political development in the state.
'Remember Vijay had never spoke of himself as a Christian when he was a film star.' 'The BJP strategy is they want the Christian minority constituency to move away from the DMK.' 'That is what the BJP wants so that it will be very easy to mobilise Hindu votes.' 'This strategy is to weaken the Dravidian ideology and bring in religion based politics into Tamil Nadu.'
The TVK's decision to offer the lone Rajya Sabha seat to the Congress came against the backdrop of key meetings between national party leaders, including former union finance minister P Chidambaram and Congress Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar at the Secretariat.
A meeting of Tamil Nadu MPs, led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, unanimously decided to oppose the Union government's proposed delimitation exercise, demanding its complete withdrawal and an extension of the delimitation freeze for another 25 years.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K Selvaperunthagai announced that the Congress will be part of the new government in Tamil Nadu led by Vijay's TVK, with discussions underway for ministerial posts and a Rajya Sabha seat.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Friday sought a change in seating arrangement for its MPs in the Lok Sabha, saying their alliance with the Congress has ended and it would not be appropriate for its members to sit alongside those of the Congress.
In a state that usually plumbs for a Dravidian major, three candidates have a chance of delivering for the BJP, observes A Ganesh Nadar.
The Congress party is considering supporting TVK in forming a government in Tamil Nadu, following a request from TVK chief Vijay. The party leadership has directed the Tamil Nadu unit to make a final decision, keeping in mind the state's sentiments and commitment to a secular government.
If current trends persist, the Congress risks becoming increasingly regionally concentrated, dependent on a handful of states rather than functioning as a truly pan-India political force.
After days of deliberations, a point of conclusion was reached late Saturday night and Congress leader and Tamil Nadu in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao told reporters that the agreement was signed in "a spirit of cooperation" when the country was facing a 'threat' from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The DMK has announced it will meticulously examine the proposed delimitation Bill when it is introduced in Parliament, making a decision based on its merits to safeguard Tamil Nadu's interests. The party's stance will be independent, without consultation with the Congress party, despite their former alliance.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to discuss resolving the persistent deadlock in the Lok Sabha's monsoon session, focusing on the Delimitation Bill and FCRA Bill, though no immediate commitment was secured from the Congress leader.
Whether Vijay has the political spine to stitch together a stable government from this patchwork of conditions, demands, and midnight drama is the question Tamil Nadu is living through right now.
Congress' chances of survival in the state do not look promising, says Aditi Phadnis
The Congress and DMK parties in Tamil Nadu are set to begin seat-sharing negotiations in a week for upcoming elections, with leaders from both parties expressing confidence in a smooth and successful alliance.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and allowed separate seating for 20 rebel TMC lawmakers who joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), ahead of the Monsoon session.
Sheela Bhatt analyses the gameplan behind the Congress's decision to play hardball in Tamil Nadu, to the extent that it doesn't care if the DMK walks out of the UPA government at the Centre.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislature Party have decided to extend its full support to the TVK to form the government, AICC Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar said in a statement citing TVK chief Vijay's request seeking support.
'On the day of the results itself, Vijay personally requested Rahul Gandhi for support from the Congress.'
'The EPS camp feels assertiveness will help the AIADMK keep the BJP's seat-share ambitions to the minimum,' observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member strong Tamil Nadu assembly in the recently held elections. 118 is the majority mark to form the government.
The BJP often forgets that in Dravidian Tamil Nadu, the voter does not mix religion, which is personal, and politics that is in the public sphere, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
The DMK has strongly criticised the Congress party for exiting their alliance in Tamil Nadu, accusing them of betrayal and opportunistic behaviour. The DMK claims the Congress has undermined the stability of the state government and risked the progress made in the last five years.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is reportedly set to skip the upcoming INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi, signalling a growing rift with the Congress party. This development follows a political realignment in Tamil Nadu where Congress allied with the TVK, leading to the end of its long-standing cooperation with the DMK and a request for separate seating in the Lok Sabha.
Tamil Nadu Congress MP Christopher Tilak clarified that the postponement of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's meeting with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi was due to the leaders' busy schedules and ongoing organisational matters.
Rahul Gandhi and Kanimozhi met to discuss seat-sharing for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections, but no agreement was reached. The Congress seeks a larger share of seats, while the DMK is hesitant to concede more than last time.
