There has been a big political tremor in Tamilnadu. No one could have been more surprised than everyone at this unexpected development. The script has been the same for decades. The DMK or the AIADMK would get a huge victory. They would rule the government by themselves. All others were competing for scraps. It’s time for the old days of this to be behind us
Actor-politician Vijay made his debut in politics with his political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. In the May 2026 elections TVK had turned the tables on the old guard. They won 108 seats, filling big sections of the state map with their dark red and yellow. The problem is, however, that . . . . The magic number to form a government in Tamil Nadu is 118. TVK didn’t finish the race without any company. To add to the woes of Vijay, he had to lose one of his successful seats, Trichy East, as he could win two. This left TVK with 107 seats. They had just 11 seats to spare for a majority.
In Tamil Nadu, a hung assembly is a rare and unusual entity. It sets aside all the norms.
The anxiety to meet new friends.
What would you do if you didn’t have the necessary numbers to run a state? You scramble. You negotiate. You develop a collective.You create a coalition.
Coalitions are not the norm in the politics of Tamilnadu. He is right, parties are in the polls together. However, after the vote, the largest party is given all the cabinet posts. The smaller ones do not help and keep their mouths shut. Not this time
This was a golden opportunity for Congress. Together with the DMK they had contested the poll. They managed to win five seats. In a matter of moments, these five seats turned into the most valuable political real estate in Chennai. The Congress leaders were well aware of what they had. It took them no time. They toppled the DMK alliance in a matter of days. They walked straight over to Vijay’s camp.
However, Congress was not only concerned with taking photos for the cameras. They were looking for real hard power. They gave conditional approval. The situation was straightforward. Inside the government was what they wanted. They were calling for cabinet ministries. They wished to be seated at the large table.
A drought of fifty-nine years came to an end
It’s extremely wild, you really have to understand the history here. For 59 years, Congress has been completely deprived of power in Tamil Nadu. Later in the 1960s, the Dravidian parties put them out. Since then, Congress has just been a minor sidekick to either the DMK or the AIADMK. They were seated in the front seat. They didn’t drive the car.
On Thursday, May 21, that almost six-decade curse was finally broken.
The deal was cut at the very top. Congress leaders played a hard-bargaining game, reminding the government that their presence was necessary for the government to be formed and that they would not be seen as sitting idly and doing nothing. Twenty-three ministers took their oaths in a huge ceremony and the Congress officially joined the state cabinet which was headed by Vijay.
This is the first-ever multi-party coalition government in decades in Tamil Nadu. It is a complete rewrite of the state’s political rule book. Vijay can’t simply be an absolute monarch and rule people like that. He needs to check with his associates. He needs to make compromises on policies. That’s a very different way of conducting the business of the state government.
Other smaller parties jumped on the bandwagon too. The VCK, IUML and the Communist parties provided external assistance for maintaining the government. Even the opposition wing of the AIADMK leader have come together with 25 MLAs to support TVK. But, it is through sheer political maneuvering that Vijay got 146 lawmakers on his side.
The Governor plays hard to get.
This was not a “luck of the draw” situation. Once the results of the election revealed a hung assembly, the focus of everyone’s attention shifted to Raj Bhavan. The Governor faced a huge decision in his constitution.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar didn’t give the keys of the state in a rush. He wanted tangible evidence. Vijay declared his intention to form the government and the Governor responded by saying, “Show me the receipts”. He wanted the things to be documented properly. He was asking for letters of support from all the individual MLAs to support TVK.
This is the usual practice in a parliamentary system in almost every country where no party secures an absolute majority. The Governor must be absolutely certain that the new government will be doomed to fail to stand five minutes after assuming the office. Endless debates on news channels, Supreme Court precedents and what exactly the role of the Governor was. Will a coalition of opposing ideologies after the poll stand? Is it constitutional to establish a government through a series of ad hoc compromises by a minority party? Can a party that campaigned with DMK and fought against them during the election, now choose to share the power with TVK?
Yes, it is. The constitution is indifferent to pre-poll alliances as long as post-poll math works out. The fact that a leader can show having the support of majority of members on the floor of the house means that the leader has the right to govern.
Beginning with a new era of the Brand New Era.
A constitutional crisis was avoided. The figures were checked. The swearing-in ceremonies were conducted.
However, ruling over a coalition is going to be a very difficult task for Vijay, who is a newbie in the political arena. He must now navigate Congress leaders whose appetites for influence have been whetted by 59 years of a life in the wilderness. He has to appease the rebel members of the AIADMK, which are a part of his opposition. His government may collapse right on his own.
At this time, the dust has calmed. The government in Tamil Nadu is a coalition government. It’s quite amazing how new it is. It’s no longer the political landscape that we know today than it was just a few weeks ago. A high-stakes political experiment is unfolding as it happens. The old walls have totally collapsed and have been replaced by an alliance that will provide a new form of governance. Only the coming months will tell whether this coalition, which was pieced together, will be able to run a state of this size, or whether it will fall apart due to the compromises.
See the TVK–Congress Alliance Confirmed live coverage and watch how this historic political alliance has come together.
