Rahul Gandhi dumps DMK: Tamil Nadu Congress hands support letter to Vijay, backs TVK to form govt
The decision to support Vijay was taken at an urgent late-night meeting of the party's Political Affairs Committee, convened by AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu affairs Girish Chodankar
- May 6, 2026,
- Updated May 6, 2026 3:18 PM IST
The Tamil Nadu Congress on Wednesday handed over a letter of support to TVK chief Vijay, backing his bid to form the government after the party fell short of a majority in the Assembly.
The decision was taken at an urgent late-night meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee, convened by AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu affairs Girish Chodankar. The meeting was convened via Zoom, and senior members expressed their support for Vijay, according to news agency PTI. The committee unanimously decided to support Vijay to form a "secular government" in the state.
Don't Miss: How much will superstar Vijay’s poll promises cost Tamil Nadu?
The move comes after consultations at the national level. Top Congress leaders met at party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by Rahul Gandhi and Girish Chodankar, among others, to discuss the post-election scenario. "TVK President Thiru Vijay has requested the Indian National Congress for support to form a Government in Tamil Nadu," Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said after the meeting.
"The INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government that is committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit. The INC is determined not to have the BJP and its proxies run the Government of Tamil Nadu in any manner," he said.
Vijay's TVK emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly but remains short of the halfway mark. He needs the support of at least 10 MLAs to secure a simple majority. The Congress has won five seats, while the Pattali Makkal Katchi has four. The CPI and CPI(M) have two seats each, numbers that could help Vijay cross the majority mark.
The outgoing Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam secured 59 seats, while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won 47. The BJP, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam and the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam won one seat each, while the VCK secured two.
The Congress had contested the polls in alliance with the DMK, making the post-result support to TVK a shift in position.
The DMK criticised the Congress' move to back Vijay. "The Congress party has decided to ally with the TVK, pledging their support to the party. I think they have backstabbed... They have backstabbed the people of Tamil Nadu. They've backstabbed the mandate given by the people of Tamil Nadu," DMK spokesperson Saravanan Anadurai said.
The Tamil Nadu Congress on Wednesday handed over a letter of support to TVK chief Vijay, backing his bid to form the government after the party fell short of a majority in the Assembly.
The decision was taken at an urgent late-night meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee, convened by AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu affairs Girish Chodankar. The meeting was convened via Zoom, and senior members expressed their support for Vijay, according to news agency PTI. The committee unanimously decided to support Vijay to form a "secular government" in the state.
Don't Miss: How much will superstar Vijay’s poll promises cost Tamil Nadu?
The move comes after consultations at the national level. Top Congress leaders met at party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by Rahul Gandhi and Girish Chodankar, among others, to discuss the post-election scenario. "TVK President Thiru Vijay has requested the Indian National Congress for support to form a Government in Tamil Nadu," Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said after the meeting.
"The INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government that is committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit. The INC is determined not to have the BJP and its proxies run the Government of Tamil Nadu in any manner," he said.
Vijay's TVK emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly but remains short of the halfway mark. He needs the support of at least 10 MLAs to secure a simple majority. The Congress has won five seats, while the Pattali Makkal Katchi has four. The CPI and CPI(M) have two seats each, numbers that could help Vijay cross the majority mark.
The outgoing Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam secured 59 seats, while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won 47. The BJP, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam and the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam won one seat each, while the VCK secured two.
The Congress had contested the polls in alliance with the DMK, making the post-result support to TVK a shift in position.
The DMK criticised the Congress' move to back Vijay. "The Congress party has decided to ally with the TVK, pledging their support to the party. I think they have backstabbed... They have backstabbed the people of Tamil Nadu. They've backstabbed the mandate given by the people of Tamil Nadu," DMK spokesperson Saravanan Anadurai said.