Vijay’s TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the state elections, but it is the allies of DMK who are bringing him to power.
File image of DMK chief M K Stalin and TVK chief Vijay. (Source: PTI)
Even after facing a humiliating defeat in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M K Stalin appears to be shaping the contours of government formation in the state.
Vijay’s meteoric rise in the polls helped his party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), emerge as the single largest force in the state’s political landscape.
However, the actor-turned-politician’s growing popularity could not help him touch the majority mark, and since then, the power struggle for the remaining MLAs has turned into a never-ending story in the state.
While the spotlight remains on TVK chief C Joseph Vijay, the changing political dynamics in the state raise another question: Is Stalin still sitting at the power centre of Tamil Nadu politics despite the electoral setback?
Over the last few days, political parties have been engaged in intense post-poll arithmetic to reach the magic number of 118 seats.
Vijay’s TVK, with 108 seats, had no option but to look for partners who could help the party bridge the gap. In this political struggle, Congress joined hands with the party and helped TVK move closer to the majority mark with its five seats.
However, for TVK, the battle had just begun.
Stalin Gives Free Hand To DMK Allies Over Vijay Tie-Up
As the power struggle intensified in Tamil Nadu, sources said Stalin held meetings with long-time DMK allies and gave them a free hand to decide whether they wanted to extend support to TVK based on their political interests.
After their blockbuster performance in the polls, TVK reached out to Congress, VCK and the Left parties for support in government formation.
With this, the ball was now in the court of the DMK allies and Left parties. But their decision on the alliance did not come immediately.
CPI, CPM Hold Extensive Talks With Stalin, Then Shake Hands With TVK
Leaders of DMK’s key allies — the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) — held long meetings with Stalin before extending outside support to Vijay’s TVK.
Against the backdrop of intense backchannel discussions over the post-poll arithmetic, leaders of the Left parties met the outgoing Chief Minister. The leaders said the meeting was held to discuss the current political situation in the state.
These meetings clearly indicated that the parties were not willing to extend support to Vijay without first sounding out Stalin.
The meetings underlined the fact that even though Stalin had lost the power position, he still commands enormous influence over the political ecosystem of the state.
Stalin’s ‘Won’t Disturb For Six Months’ Message To TVK
In his first interview since the poll results, Stalin, while speaking to The Times of India, said the DMK was willing to wait for Vijay to form the new government in the state and added that he would “watch without disturbing for six months”.
Stalin also said he expects the new government to continue all the schemes introduced by his government, apart from fulfilling the promises made by TVK in its election manifesto.
The statement came amid speculation over a possible alliance between arch-rivals DMK and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Stalin’s remarks appeared to be paving the way for Vijay to ascend to power.
With Congress, CPI and CPM now backing Vijay, the future of Tamil Nadu’s government lies with VCK, another old ally of the DMK, which will announce its decision on the alliance offer at 4 pm today.
Currently, TVK has 107 MLAs, Congress has five, while CPI and CPM have two each, taking the total tally to 116.
If VCK joins hands with TVK, it will bring two more MLAs into the alliance and help Vijay’s party reach the magic number.
But the question still remains: Did CPI, CPM and VCK make Vijay sit on the chief minister’s throne, or was Stalin the real kingmaker?
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