Vijay’s TVK faces its first electoral test in October

Into its fourth month after taking over the reins of power in Tamil Nadu on May 10, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government led by C Joseph Vijay is still drawing attention across political circles. Though its stupendous performance of dislodging the Dravidian duopoly was besmirched somewhat after it took outside support from the same rival alliance partners to secure a majority, the mood of the new government still seems to be inclusive, notwithstanding acidic attacks by its rivals on various counts. The recent controversy raised by some incumbent ministers, who projected Vijay as a probable PM candidate, understandably raised hackles of the Congress party. Its members are ministers in the new government and even threatened to resign if TVK’s decision was implemented. Then came the shocker from the CPI (M), which announced that its support has a ‘conditions apply’ rider. The heartening news is that two parties of the DMK alliance – Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which have tasted power for the first time in over decades are staying put affirming their stand and firmly backing TVK.

With seven assembly seats vacant owing to cases filed against winning candidates, the Election Commission has announced polls in two constituencies as the winners in these seats quit their original party and joined TVK. The elections to these seats will be held on October 6. Meanwhile, the statement of one senior TVK leader K A Sengottaiyan that 10 MLAs from AIADMK are likely to switch sides has raised a hornet’s nest with political leaders accusing the ruling party of encouraging horse trading. The MGR- founded party has seen many twists and turns in the last decade after the last of its dynamic leaders, J Jayalalithaa, passed away and the AIADMK government led by E Palaniswamy successfully ran the government for a full term from 2016-21. After a wave of speculations about the merger of the two Dravidian parties – DMK and AIADMK - died a natural death, whispers still abound that there is a ‘need to keep together’ kind of a phase affecting both these parties. Yet, the two war veterans – M K Stalin and Palaniswamy – have taken enough steps to ensure that there are no splits and hints of dissidence are attended to immediately, if Chennai political circles are to be believed.

If the October results are in favour of the government, they would inch closer to the majority mark on their own and once the legal issues are sorted out for the other five and TVK repeats a magical performance once again, then one can expect Vijay to become more assertive. As of now, treading carefully on a host of problems like ‘minority appeasement’ and combating vicious personal attacks from DMK, the CM is putting up a fight which is keeping politics as hot as it can be in the southern capital.

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The Hans India