ANDALIB AKHTER / NEW DELHI
The Congress party, a central pillar of the INDIA bloc is facing delicate political dilemma over whether to extend support to a newly formed TVK-led government in Tamil Nadu or remain aligned with its long-standing ally, the DMK. The situation has grown more complex in the backdrop of recent assembly poll shifts and the evolving arithmetic in Parliament. We
Any move by Congress to align with TVK risks straining its decades-old partnership with the DMK, a key regional force that currently holds 22 Lok Sabha MPs and 10 Rajya Sabha members, making it one of the most influential southern players in national politics. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), another formidable INDIA bloc ally, commands 29 Lok Sabha seats and 13 Rajya Sabha members, further strengthening the opposition’s parliamentary presence.
At present, the NDA-led government holds around 293 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, comfortably above the majority mark of 272. In the Rajya Sabha, the NDA and its supporting allies together hover around 118–120 members, still requiring issue-based support to push through contentious legislation in the 245-member Upper House.
If the DMK were to realign and extend support to the NDA at the Centre, the ruling coalition’s Lok Sabha tally could climb to approximately 315 seats, significantly enhancing its dominance in the Lower House. More crucially, in the Rajya Sabha, the addition of DMK’s 10 members would take the NDA-led combine closer to 128–130 seats, putting it within striking distance of a far more comfortable working majority and easing the passage of key bills.
Such a shift would dramatically alter Parliament’s arithmetic, weakening the INDIA bloc’s ability to mount resistance on legislative matters. It would also politically isolate Congress and TMC, the two principal opposition anchors.
Amid this, Congress is expected to sharpen its “secular plank” as a core political message—projecting any decision it takes as guided by inclusive governance and constitutional values. Party leaders are likely to frame their Tamil Nadu strategy within a broader ideological narrative, presenting Congress as the glue holding together a secular opposition front against the BJP-led NDA.
If Congress seeks a role in a TVK-led dispensation, it may have to recalibrate its ties with the DMK—an outcome that could trigger wider repercussions for opposition unity. The coming weeks will determine whether Congress prioritises immediate state-level gains or preserves the broader architecture of the INDIA alliance, with implications stretching far beyond Tamil Nadu.