- The Congress alliance with actor Vijay's TVK has alienated DMK
- DMK has severed decades-old ties with Congress, passing resolutions against the party
- The INDIA bloc's future depends on stability of the alliance before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh election
The setbacks faced by Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and Stalin in Tamil Nadu has set a question mark on the future of the Opposition INDIA bloc. By accepting ties with actor Vijay's TVK, the Congress, the unofficial leader of the bloc, has alienated MK Stalin's DMK. Upset, the Dravidian party called off the decades-old ties with the Congress. Today, the DMK passed a set of four resolutions against the Congress and senior party leader "The INDIA Bloc is gone," India Today quoted senior DMK leader TKS Elangovn as saying.
Barring the Congress, the three chief constituent parties of the INDIA bloc are Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, the DMK and the Samajwadi Party.
While Mamata Banerjee is known for her on again off again relationship with the Congress, the DMK and the Samajwadi Party have consistently stood in support of the Grand Old Party in parliament. The stance of the Trinamool Congress tended to shift depending on the issue.
Read: AIADMK-DMK Pact Could Happen In Tamil Nadu, With Nudge From BJP: Sources
Now, the Congress's move to ally with Vijay -- who has scooped up 108 seats in Tamil Nadu -- and get a chance of power sharing in the state has alienated the DMK, it appears, for good. The party has tagged the Congress stance "backstabbing" and "betrayal".
Even prior to the election, there had been a divergence of opinion within the Congress regarding the alliance with the DMK.
One faction within the Congress - particularly the party's leadership in Tamil Nadu -was opposed to the idea of contesting the elections in alliance with the DMK and favoured supporting Vijay. But in a meeting, the Congress had shot down the idea and decided to continue its alliance with the DMK.
Post-polls, in view of the people's mandate, however, Rahul Gandhi acceded to the proposal, and the Congress-TVK alliance was formed.
A Congress leader has expressed the view that by aligning with Vijay, they could potentially sweep all 39 parliamentary seats in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The more likely scenario is that they might all go to Vijay's TVK.
Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, has adopted a conciliatory stance towards the Trinamool Congress after a face-off with the party in the election. After Trinamool's defeat, he has accused the BJP of not only "stealing votes" in Bengal but also "stealing the government".
But it is not yet clear whether standing by Trinamool will help the Congress address the situation with the DMK or its effect on the other allies.
Raed: Is INDIA Bloc Set To Split After Tamil Nadu, Bengal Results? A Look At The Mess
Samajwadi chief Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, had travelled to Kolkata. The INDIA bloc parties - many of whom had been hoping to have an alternative rallying point in Mamata Banerjee -- have rallied behind her.
The bloc's biggest test ahead lies in the 2027 election in Uttar Pradesh.
It remains to be seen whether the Congress and the Samajwadi Party will contest these elections jointly or separately.
Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav had contested elections together in the past - in 2017 when their "UP-ke ladke" campaign had bombed and Yogi Adityanath came to power.
In the light of this, the Uttar Pradesh assembly election could prove to be a fascinating contest. But for all of this to materialise, the alliance must remain intact through 2026 and beyond.
