Congratulating actor-politician Vijay after the TVK-led coalition gained a simple majority in Tamil Nadu, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin on Saturday reiterated that his party would not obstruct the formation of a new government in the state and it would function as a constructive opposition party.
The former chief minister, in a long post in Tamil on micro-blogging website X (previously Twitter), also pointed out that the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance failed to get a majority, it has garnered a significant number of votes.
He further that the DMK would respect the decision of Left parties and Thol Thirumavalavan's Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) to extend support to Vijay.
"In a situation where no one secured the majority to form a government, many put forward alternative ideas," he said. "As far as I am concerned, whatever decision our allied parties take, I believed that we should respect their decision, act in coordination, ensure a stable government is formed, and not pave the way for another election."
On severing ties with Congress, Stalin said Congress MLAs who won because of the alliance are yet to thank the DMK. However, Left parties and the VCK will remain partners of the DMK to safeguard the rights of Tamil Nadu, he stated.
"Communist leaders Comrade Shanmugam and Comrade Veerapandian, along with Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi party leader Thirumavalavan, have announced that they will continue to join hands with the DMK and fight for the rights of Tamil Nadu and the welfare of the people, thereby expressing a sense of camaraderie and demonstrating their trust in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which is strong in policy," he said.
TVK's number nightmare ends
In the recently held assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Vijay's TVK emerged as the single largest party, with 108 seats. However, party's effective strength remains 107, as Vijay had won from two seats. Immediately after the results were declared, the Congress with five MLAs declared support to Vijay, but the TVK was still short of the magic number of 118.
Later, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also declared support to the TVK. Now, with support of the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the TVK-led coalition has a simple majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
It is worth noting that the Left parties, the VCK and the IUML have two MLAs each. In total, the number of MLAs from parties supporting Vijay's TVK stands at 13.
