- Vijay to host a tea meeting with government supporters from various parties in Chennai
- Leaders from Congress, VCK, MDMK, IUML, CPI, and CPM expected to attend the meeting
- Meeting seen as a move to form a broader secular alliance ahead of local and national polls
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK president Vijay is set to host leaders of parties supporting his government, both from within the coalition and from outside, at a tea meeting on Wednesday evening in what is being seen as a significant political outreach that could lay the foundation for a broader TVK-led alliance in the state.
The meeting, to be held at a star hotel on the outskirts of Chennai, will also be attended by MLAs and MPs of the participating parties, underlining its political significance beyond a routine courtesy gathering.
Among those expected are leaders of the Congress, VCK, MDMK, IUML, CPI and CPM. Interestingly, all these parties had contested and won elections as part of the DMK-led alliance before the political realignment that brought Vijay to power.
The Congress has since severed ties with the DMK and is now an ally of the TVK. The VCK and IUML continue as coalition partners in the Vijay government, while the CPI and CPM extend outside support. The MDMK has exited the DMK alliance, although its two MLAs, elected on the DMK symbol, have neither resigned their Assembly seats nor extended support to the TVK government for now.
The meeting assumes added significance as it comes amid growing speculation over whether Vijay is attempting to forge a broader secular alliance ahead of the upcoming local body elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. While the name of the proposed alliance and its larger contours are yet to become clear, leaders across the spectrum indicate that it is expected to be built around a secular platform. Such a coalition could significantly alter Tamil Nadu's political landscape and pose a serious challenge to the DMK, which had dominated elections for years with its formidable alliance.
The TVK had won 108 Assembly seats, falling short of the 118 needed for a simple majority. Its tally later came down to 107 after Vijay resigned one of the two constituencies he had won. However, support from the Congress, which has five MLAs, along with the VCK, IUML, CPI and CPM, each with two legislators, has enabled the government to comfortably cross the majority mark. The ruling party has also been strengthened after six AIADMK MLAs resigned, with four of them subsequently joining the TVK. The resignations will soon pave the way for bypolls, and the TVK hopes to improve its tally by winning those seats. At the same time, the resignations have triggered whispers of an unhealthy political trend among some allies and the Left, besides prompting the DMK to allege horse-trading, a charge the TVK has denied.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee Chief Manickam Tagore welcomed the initiative, saying, "TVK's meeting with allies and those supporting the government from outside is a good effort to sit together and discuss."
VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan, however, struck a cautious note. "We will know only after discussions at the meeting. We have now been invited for a tea party, and I cannot say anything prematurely," he said.
Whether today's meeting remains a coordination exercise among the government's supporters or marks the first step towards a formal TVK-led secular alliance will become clearer after the discussions. Either way, the political optics are significant, with Vijay bringing together parties that until recently formed the backbone of the DMK-led alliance.
