Congress still with DMK alliance; both parties in talks for seat sharing

Chennai: Putting to rest all speculation, the Congress on Saturday reaffirmed its alliance with Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for the 2026 assembly polls, saying the two parties have already begun negotiations for the electoral arrangement.

While rejecting outright reports that the party was looking for an alliance with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), Congress’s TN in-charge Girish Chodankar reiterated that his party and the DMK have been long standing and reliable partners and that there was no change in their relationship.

Chodankar said the party was waiting for the DMK to invite the five-member committee constituted to hold seat-sharing talks for further negotiations and expressed the hope that the matter will be “closed” at the earliest.

The clarification from Congress comes amid intense speculation that the party was inclined towards an alliance with TVK – social media posts by a few leaders that indirectly criticized the DMK government and speeches by state-level functionaries in support of actor Vijay led to visible strain in the relationship. Former Union Minister P Chidambaram met Chief Minister M K Stalin in December and assured him that the Congress was committed to its alliance with the DMK.

“Has anybody told you that we are not going to be in an alliance with the DMK? Exactly a month ago, we met the Chief Minister, and we are waiting for them (their response). We took a proactive decision to form a panel because we are interested in an alliance with the DMK,” Chodankar said.

“We have a long-standing relationship with the DMK, which is the most trusted ally. I am confident that the DMK will “close the issue” at the earliest,” he added. It is believed that the Congress wanted the seat-sharing talks to be concluded at the earliest so that it can start election work at the earliest.

To a question on the demand for power sharing, Chodankar evaded a direct reply saying which political party will say it doesn’t want power. “Tell me which political party doesn’t want power. We should then name ourselves an NGO,” he said. But when persisted whether the Congress has made the demand to the DMK, Chodankar refused to answer the question directly.

Congress and DMK have fought every election since 2004 except the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, but the seats contested by the national party in the assembly elections have been on the decline.

From 48 in 2006, the party got 63 seats in 2011 but this was reduced to 41 in 2016 and further to 25 in 2021, the lowest number the Congress has contested so far. Congress currently has 17 MLAs and many leaders want the party’s strength in the Assembly to increase by contesting more seats in the 2026 assembly elections.

DH had on November 17 reported that the faction-ridden TN Congress unit was split into three divergent views regarding the alliance.

One faction wants the Congress to accept whatever numbers the DMK allot to them; the second wants the party to bargain for 40 to 45 seats and power sharing with the DMK; and the third wants the party to explore an electoral tie-up with Vijay’s TVK.

Those who clamoured for the third option pointed to the gradual reduction of the seats to the party and DMK leaders’ ignoring Congress cadres and not protecting their interests as reasons for their idea.

The speculation intensified after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke to Vijay a day after a stampede at his rally in Karur on September 27 that led to the death of 41 people to express his condolences. Though Congress said the telephone call was made as a courtesy call, and nothing political should be read into the “gesture”, rumours continued to swirl.