A successful but battered alliance

After days of hard bargaining, and astatine times pushing the confederation to the brink of collapse, the Congress successful Tamil Nadu has finally sealed a seat-sharing pact with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for the forthcoming Assembly elections. The Congress, which was allotted 25 seats and won 18 successful the 2021 Assembly polls, has managed to unafraid 3 further seats and a Rajya Sabha berth from the DMK as portion of the agreement.

An unrelenting Congress

The Congress’s hardened stance surprised adjacent leaders successful the rival camp, peculiarly due to the fact that the enactment has been a constituent of the DMK-led alliance for astir 22 years, barring a little separation successful 2014. The DMK-Congress combine successful Tamil Nadu is often cited arsenic a exemplary alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led harvester astatine the Centre.

Editorial | One for all: On seat-sharing for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election

The Congress precocious command, however, appeared to beryllium softly preparing for an experimentation successful Tamil Nadu contempt the much-publicised bonhomie betwixt Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Congress person Rahul Gandhi, who often code each different arsenic “brother.” Throughout the roller-coaster negotiations, Mr. Gandhi kept himself distant from straight dealing with Mr. Stalin. The continuation of the confederation was yet ensured by the involution of erstwhile Union Minister and elder Congress person P. Chidambaram, who was asked by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi to negociate for the party.

The Congress appears to beryllium readying itself for an experimentation aft the emergence of actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). For decades, Tamil Nadu authorities has been dominated by two Dravidian parties — the DMK and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) — contempt challenges from sub-regional forces specified arsenic the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), the Tamil nationalist outfit Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK), and the committedness erstwhile shown by actor Vijayakant’s Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK). 

Actor Vijay, however, has succeeded successful creating the cognition that helium represents a imaginable alternative. A conception of leaders wrong the Congress favoured exploring an confederation with the TVK, believing it could let the enactment to contention a larger fig of seats. Yet specified a determination would person erstwhile again underlined the Congress’s continuing dependence connected determination allies alternatively than its ain organisational spot — efficaciously piggybacking connected different enactment alternatively of the DMK. 

However, the precise thought that the Congress was reasoning of joining hands with the TVK surprised galore observers, arsenic it would person led to far-reaching consequences for Indian authorities successful general. Such a realignment would person been precisely the accidental the BJP might person been waiting for, arsenic it could person dealt a terrible stroke to the INDIA bloc by weakening 1 of its astir important pillars successful the south.

The BJP, afloat alert that the DMK has, successful caller years, emerged arsenic 1 of its strongest ideological opponents, is improbable to soften its stance. For the Congress, losing the DMK’s backing successful Parliament would person made it considerably much susceptible astatine the nationalist level, some politically and numerically — an accidental the BJP would person been keen to exploit.

DMK’s dilemma

The sealing of the pact has, for now, saved the confederation but near heavy scars. The Congress whitethorn person succeeded successful persuading the DMK to portion with a fewer further seats, but it has besides paved the mode for different allies successful the DMK-led front to request more. Already overcrowded with astir 20 governmental parties and fringe groups, the DMK alliance is nether tremendous unit to accommodate competing demands.

Anticipating the anticipation of a breakdown successful talks with the Congress, the DMK had already roped successful respective parties, including the DMDK. It had besides inducted former AIADMK Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam into the ruling party.

The DMK’s next situation volition beryllium identifying seats for its allies, arsenic their interests overlap successful galore constituencies. At the aforesaid time, the enactment is keen to contention arsenic galore seats arsenic imaginable to debar a repetition of the concern successful 2006, erstwhile M. Karunanidhi had to signifier a authorities with extracurricular enactment from its allies, peculiarly the Congress and the PMK. The DMK leadership is good alert that if it falls abbreviated of a bulk again, the Congress volition not hesitate to request its lb of flesh.