Congress Considers Support To Vijay's TVK, Tells State Unit To Take A Call

The Congress's top leadership met today at party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's house to assess the post-election situation in Tamil Nadu, as TVK chief Vijay moved to stake claim to form the government. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and senior leaders attended the meeting to explore options.

After the meeting, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh confirmed that Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) approached the Congress seeking support to form the government.

Venugopal said the Congress leadership has asked the Tamil Nadu Congress unit to take a final call on the request, keeping in view the message reflected in the electoral verdict. He said the decision has been left to the state unit after consultations.

Making the party's position clear, Venugopal said the Congress does not want the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to be part of the government that is eventually to be formed in Tamil Nadu, indicating the mandate points towards a secular dispensation.

Referring to Vijay's outreach, he said the request for support led to the meeting in Delhi and noted that the actor-politician has spoken about drawing inspiration from former Congress leader K Kamaraj.

The TVK, led by Vijay, emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member assembly, falling short of the majority mark of 118. The party on Tuesday approached Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar staking claim to form the government and seeking time to prove its majority in the house, sources said.

With no party crossing the halfway mark, the state has entered a phase of negotiations, with the TVK requiring additional support to reach the numbers needed to form a stable government.

Tamil Nadu Congress in-charge Girish Chodankar said the verdict reflects a desire for change. He said young voters and women, in particular, backed the TVK in significant numbers, adding the party respects the mandate.

Chodankar said a report on the election outcome has been submitted to the central leadership, including Kharge, Gandhi and Venugopal. He added that discussions are ongoing within the party, even as the numbers game continues.