Despite softening its stance to pave the way for seat-sharing talks with the ruling DMK, sections of the Congress continue to press for power-sharing arrangements after the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Congress Lok Sabha Whip Manickam Tagore offered a guarded response to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s firm rejection of any power-sharing formula.
“The people will decide — whether it is a coalition government or a single-party government. It will be decided by the people,” Tagore said in a post on X. He also referred to what he described as the Congress’ “mistake” in not fully implementing the people’s mandate in 2006.
In the 2006 Assembly elections, the DMK won 96 seats in the 234-member House, falling short of a majority. The Congress, which secured 34 seats as part of the DMK-led alliance, extended outside support to the Karunanidhi-led government, enabling it to complete a full term. In return, the DMK supported the Congress government in Puducherry by staying out of the Cabinet.
Backing the call for coalition governance, Praveen Chakravarthy, Chairman of the Professionals’ Congress and considered close to Rahul Gandhi, argued that Tamil Nadu should not claim “uniqueness” to avoid sharing power with allies.
“Why hide behind some made-up ‘uniqueness’ about Tamil Nadu to not want to share power, when every other state in India is fine with it? People of Tamil Nadu, like their fellow Indians, have no problem with coalition governments!” he wrote on X.
Chakravarthy further asserted that a share in power is “very, very important” for the Congress to expand its footprint in Tamil Nadu. His recent engagement with actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay has also sparked speculation about the Congress recalibrating its alliance strategy within the DMK-led front.
Both the ruling DMK and the principal opposition AIADMK remain opposed to formal power-sharing arrangements, viewing coalition governance as a sign of political weakness. Notably, Tamil Nadu has never witnessed a coalition government experiment in its political history.