The Going May Get Tough For DMK In 2026 Assembly Polls As Allies Demand 'Power Sharing' Over 'Seat Sharing'

Just days after speculation around an alliance between the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the publishing of an old speech of VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan on his X account has caused a flutter.

Coming from a member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance, where parties are not known to speak up, the speech was seen as a bold one. Thirumavalavan was heard saying there should not just be ‘seat sharing’ with coalition partners but also ‘power sharing’, that is, representation in the state cabinet.

The video went viral on social media. However, even as the chatter was picking up, the post was deleted.

When the media asked Thirumavalavan about it, he was unapologetic. While he said it was done by his account administrator, he added that power-sharing has been a long-term demand of his outfit, and he still stands by those remarks. 

The video has been made available once again and can be seen here.

Not Just VCK, Even Congress Looking At A Larger Share Of The Pie

While it is well known that Thirumavalavan and his party, the VCK, are ambitious and have been looking to expand their footprint for sometime now, the Congress in Tamil Nadu, which is most often seen to be toeing the DMK line, is also seeing similar demands emerge from its ranks.

While the party has leaders like E V K S Elangovan, who praised the DMK government sky high by saying that the Chief Minister M K Stalin-led government is like that of former chief minister K Kamaraj of the Congress (known for introducing the mid-day meal scheme and held in high esteem even by other parties), there are others like Karti Chidambaram, who have made demands similar to those of the VCK. 

Karti has said that while the Congress has won seats due to the strength of the DMK-led alliance, it does not mean that the party is not adding value to it. He argues that people from minority communities and Scheduled Castes voted for the DMK alliance because they wanted a Congress government at the Centre.

According to a report by The Hindu, the demand was raised by Congress functionaries before the state unit chief, K Selvaperunthagai, during his meetings with district Congress committees. 

Citing the example of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, they said if the Telugu Desam Party, which has come to power with a full majority, could give space to coalition partners in the state cabinet, the same should be done in Tamil Nadu as well.

Earlier, in what was seen as a reference to the DMK, Selvaperunthagai himself asked how long the party would be dependent on others.

BJP Supports Thirumavalavan’s Demand

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) joined the debate over Thirumavalavan’s speech. Not buying the argument that an admin had done the post, BJP leaders responded with two pictures of him side by side. While one depicted him as he is, the other had a large mole added to his face. The former was captioned as Thirumavalavan, and the latter as his admin.

Supporting Thirumavalavan's remarks, many said making him the deputy chief minister would mean the introduction of real ‘social justice’ by the Dravidian model.

DMK Contained VCK-Congress In 2024 Lok Sabha Election Too

Even though the Congress and VCK settled for the same number of seats as 2019, their greater ambition had come to the fore during the seat-sharing negotiations for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

While the Congress sought more than the nine seats it was given the last time, the VCK asked for four. It demanded three seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and one unreserved seat. This was seen as a bold demand, as parties in the state that primarily have Dalits as their support base have usually been allotted only reserved seats.

But the same is unlikely to happen in the 2026 assembly election. The Congress is stronger at a national level, having secured 99 seats. The DMK might also choose to humour the VCK in order to nullify the anger among Dalits, which surfaced in a big way after the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party state president, K Armstrong.

In addition, both parties have the option of going with the AIADMK, which is open to new alliance partners after breaking ties with the BJP. 

All this is to say that the DMK will have it tougher in the talks leading up to the 2026 assembly election. Apart from more seats, it might have to promise its allies representation in the state cabinet.

Also Read: Behind VCK’s Call For Prohibition In Tamil Nadu: Hint At An Alliance With AIADMK?