Confident of forming govt, Stalin rules out power-sharing in TN; denies rift with Cong

Confident of the DMK forming the government on its own for the second consecutive time in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday ruled out power-sharing, maintaining that such an experiment is not suitable for the Dravidian heartland.

“The DMK will form the next government on its own. Our alliance is very strong, and there is no rift between the DMK and the Congress. The question of sharing power does not even arise. It is not suitable for Tamil Nadu, and both the DMK and the Congress are aware of the same,” he said at a private event in Chennai. “Some are bent upon dividing us, but we are not bothered since we remain as strong as ever and will face the 2026 assembly election together,” he added.

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Effusive about his cordial relationship with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the DMK chief said, “Rahul sees me like a brother, and besides politics, we share a lot.” The personal rapport between Rahul and Stalin remains a bedrock of the DMK’s alliance with the Congress, and both parties have been journeying together since the 2016 Assembly elections.

Significantly, Stalin, dismissing the demand from a section of the Congress for a share in power, came a day after the DMK announced that the party would commence seat-sharing parleys with the allies, including the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Left Parties, and others, on February 22. This has come after exasperated Congress leaders vented out their frustration at big brother DMK inordinately delaying the process for more than two months after the grand old party had constituted a committee for the purpose. In the first week of December last year, the Congress panel, headed by Kirish Chodankar, had made a courtesy call on Stalin. However, the DMK, irritated by the demand for power-sharing, had tested the patience of the Congress by not even forming the party’s committee to hold the seat-sharing talks.

The DMK’s announcement had enthused not only the Congress but also the other constituents of the alliance. The Congress is believed to be making a hard bargain to secure more seats than it had contested last time. In the 2021 election, the Congress won 18 out of the 25 seats it had contested. On the Congress’ demand for more seats, analysts opine that the national party, despite its vote share coming down, acts as a multiplier for the alliance and brings secular credentials to it.