DMK Suffers Another Alliance Setback In Tamil Nadu As Vaiko's MDMK Backs Vijay's TVK

Published 27 June 2026 · politics

DMK Suffers Another Alliance Setback In Tamil Nadu As Vaiko's MDMK Backs Vijay's TVK Published By, Last Updated: June 27, 2026, 22:00 IST Vaiko said

DMK Suffers Another Alliance Setback In Tamil Nadu As Vaiko's MDMK Backs Vijay's TVK Published By, Last Updated: June 27, 2026, 22:00 IST Vaiko said the party would support the ruling TVK in the upcoming Assembly bypolls and also ally with Vijay's party in the civic body elections whenever they are held. Rapid Read Explaining the decision to leave the DMK-led alliance, the veteran leader said the MDMK had remained with the front for years to prevent the BJP from gaining a foothold in Tamil Nadu. (Photo: IANS) Actor-turned-politician and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has gained another ally, with the Vaiko-led Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) snapping ties with its long-time partner, the DMK. Announcing the decision, MDMK General Secretary Vaiko said the party would support the ruling TVK in the upcoming Assembly bypolls and also ally with Vijay’s party in the civic body elections whenever they are held. “If the state government does well, we will appreciate it, and in case of mistakes, we will point them out," Vaiko said. Explaining the decision to leave the DMK-led alliance, the veteran leader said the MDMK had remained with the front for years to prevent the BJP from gaining a foothold in Tamil Nadu.

The MDMK said the AIADMK had won a mere 47 seats in the April 23 Assembly polls by aligning with “Hindutva communal forces." By attempting to form an AIADMK government, vested interests had rendered completely meaningless the DMK’s proclamation that the Secular Progressive Alliance was an “ideological alliance." Such a move to install an AIADMK-led regime—one that had a pre-poll tie-up with “Hindutva communal forces"—made the DMK’s avowed secular-ideology-based alliance slogan meaningless, the MDMK asserted. Vaiko also alleged that ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, the MDMK was pressured to contest on the DMK’s Rising Sun symbol, while other alliance partners—including the VCK, IUML and the Left parties—were not subjected to the same condition. “Was this healthy politics? Why should there be compulsion?" Vaiko asked. How Will MDMK Help TVK? The political significance of the alliance extends beyond optics. Chief Minister Joseph Vijay retained the Perambur Assembly constituency after the 2026 elections and vacated the Tiruchirappalli-East seat, necessitating a bypoll. In addition, the resignation of five AIADMK rebel MLAs has triggered by-elections in five more constituencies, taking the total number of bypolls to six. In the 2026 Assembly elections, two MDMK leaders—R. Senthil Selvan from Sirkazhi and T.M. Rajendran from Kadayanallur—were elected on the DMK’s Rising Sun symbol.