TVK Eyes Majority in Tamil Nadu, Congress Alliance Under Threat

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay is quietly engineering a significant shift in the state’s political landscape. His party, TVK, currently holds 107 seats in the 234-member assembly, just short of the 118-seat majority mark. Rather than relying on coalition partners, Vijay is actively working to consolidate power — and Congress may be the biggest casualty.

MLAs Crossing Over, By-Elections in Sight

Three AIADMK MLAs — K. Maragatham Kumaravel, S. Jayakumar, and P. Sathyabama — have already resigned their seats to contest again under TVK’s whistle symbol. Senior TVK sources suggest that seven to eight more defections could follow. If TVK sweeps the resulting by-elections, its tally climbs toward 111, significantly narrowing the gap to a majority and reducing its dependence on Congress’s five MLAs.

Simultaneously, TVK is preparing its Rajya Sabha debut, with retired IAS officer U. Sagayam — celebrated for his anti-corruption record and 25 transfers across 28 years of service — reportedly being considered for the seat vacated by CV Shanmugam.

A Strategy Borrowed, With Local Flavour

Analysts draw comparisons to Arvind Kejriwal’s 2013 minority government in Delhi and J&K CM Omar Abdullah’s gradual distancing from Congress — both cautionary and instructive models for Vijay. Critics, however, see echoes of the BJP’s “Operation Lotus,” pointing to engineered defections in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

Senior TVK leaders are unambiguous about the endgame: a first-generation party built around a charismatic leader cannot afford long-term dependence on post-poll allies. The mission, clearly, is 118.