TVK yet to transform into political party: Karti Chidambaram

With seat-sharing talks for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election yet to fully materialise between the DMK and Congress, the latter’s MP Karti Chidambaram, on Tuesday took a dig at actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) stating that it was still operating like a “fan club” and is “yet to transform into a political party”.

At a press conference, Mr. Karti said TVK doesn’t have “a command and control structure”. “I accept he is a popular actor with a huge fan base, and that fan base can turn into support and into votes, but whether the votes can turn into seats is a question mark as far as I am concerned,” he said.

Mr. Karti added: “The process of planting their flag in Fort St. George is a long journey, and for that to happen, a lot of factors have to fall into place.”

On former AIADMK Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam’s induction into the DMK, Mr. Karti said: “When in opposition, you would get anti-incumbency votes. But, when you are in government, there will be a natural anti-incumbency, and to overcome that, a big alliance is needed. It is to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s credit that he has shown large-hearted, accommodative attitude by including even those who have been critical of him.”

Mr. Karti also weighed in on the future of the DMK-Congress alliance, saying, “All parties will have expectations, but all parties have to be practical since there are only 234 seats.”