Congress Did Not End 55-Year-Old Ties With DMK, Here Are Instances When They Ditched Each Other

Ending its years-long alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Indian National Congress in Tamil Nadu has joined forces with actor C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which has emerged as the single largest party in the recently concluded Assembly elections, to form the next government.

Congress Aligns With Vijay’s TVK After Breaking From DMK

Announcing the new coalition in a statement, AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, said, “This alliance, founded on mutual respect, appropriate share, and shared responsibility between the two parties, is not only for the formation of this government but also for future elections to local bodies, the Lok Sabha, and the Rajya Sabha.”

“Mr Vijay and Rahul Gandhi jointly pledge to respect this historic verdict of the people of Tamil Nadu for a secular and progressive government, and to fulfil the dreams and promises of the people, especially the youth of Tamil Nadu,” he added.

A History Of Shifting Alliances In Tamil Nadu Politics

Following the development, some reports claimed that the Congress snapped its 55-year-old ties with the DMK. However, this claim does not hold veracity, as historical facts suggest a more complex relationship. The Congress, under Indira Gandhi, first formed an alliance with the DMK in 1969. It later aligned with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and contested the March 1977 Lok Sabha elections together.

In 1980, the DMK again allied with the Congress after MG Ramachandran refused to support Indira Gandhi in the Thanjavur parliamentary by-election in 1979. However, this arrangement did not last long, as the AIADMK renewed its alliance with the Congress in 1984, which continued until 1996.

In the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, the AIADMK entered into an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, but the partnership lasted only about a year. In the 1999 general elections, the DMK joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, while the AIADMK re-established ties with the Congress in 2001.

The DMK remained part of the NDA for the next four years before withdrawing support from the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee shortly before the 2004 general elections.

The Congress and DMK contested successive elections together from 2004 onwards, barring the 2014 parliamentary polls. However, strains emerged during seat-sharing talks for the recent Assembly elections, casting a shadow over the once “brotherly” bond between DMK leader MK Stalin and Rahul Gandhi.