Informal talks have been launched with Premalatha, the late actor’s wife, for joining the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), sources told DH.
Credit: DH Photo
To face a resurgent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the nascent Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in the 2026 assembly polls, the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu plans to further strengthen its alliance by inducting a couple of new parties, including the DMDK of late actor Vijayakanth.
Informal talks have been launched with Premalatha, the late actor’s wife, for joining the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), sources told DH, adding that efforts are also on to rope in several caste outfits that wield influence among people in parts of Tamil Nadu.
DMK leaders said though the SPA, which has won three consecutive elections since 2019, is “strong”, the party leadership does not want to take any chances in a four-cornered intense contest. “We have to win the perception battle as well. DMDK is a party that has presence, though minimal, across the state and we wanted to tap into their vote base as well. Every vote counts in this election,” a DMK leader told DH.
DMDK has sought about 15 assembly constituencies and a Rajya Sabha seat from the DMK, which is unwilling to part with more than six assembly seats. “We will give them a RS berth and six assembly seats. That is the final offer we have given them, and it is for them to come back to us,” another DMK leader said, adding that the party is very specific that it should contest in about 170 to 180 seats on its own.
DMDK, whose base shrunk largely from boasting a 10 per cent vote share in 2010, is known for its hard bargaining skills but the DMK doesn’t want to yield beyond a point. “Our existing allies like Congress and VCK are also demanding more seats than that were allotted to them in 2021. We have to consider their requests as well since they have been long-standing allies. Congress is also demanding a Rajya Sabha seat. We have to allot seats to Kamal Haasan’s MNM,” the second leader added.
In addition to this, the DMK will allot one seat each to parties that are influential among people of marginalized communities.
If the deal with the DMDK comes through, this will be the first time that the two parties will come together for the first time. The two parties came to a sniffing distance to clinch an alliance for the 2016 assembly polls, but the deal hit a roadblock at the last minute.
In 2019, the DMDK was part of the NDA but quit the combine for the 2021 assembly polls but rejoined the AIADMK alliance for the 2024 polls. It walked out of the AIADMK alliance in 2025 after the party was not allotted a Rajya Sabha seat.