The roller-coaster relationship between the DMK and Congress finally derails

The over two-decade-old relationship between the DMK and Congress, with a brief break during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, has finally come to an end. Whenever the two parties engaged in tough bargaining over seat-sharing—first in 2011, when the Congress insisted on being allotted 90 seats and eventually got over 60, and again in 2026, when negotiations reached a stage of brinkmanship—the alliance ended up losing elections.

Though together they shaped India’s coalition politics and remained an antidote to the BJP and its ideology, the relationship was not free of tensions. In 2004, DMK leader M. Karunanidhi, demanding important portfolios for his party’s ministers, as agreed in the pre-poll arrangement, announced they would not assume office until his demands were met. The Congress, then at the mercy of its allies, obliged. However, it stood firm in 2009 and retained the key portfolios. The 2G spectrum issue further widened the divide between the two parties, and the DMK quit the Congress-led government before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, even though the Congress leadership sent senior leaders, including Pranab Mukherjee, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and A. K. Antony, to placate Mr. Karunanidhi. It was M. K. Stalin who stubbornly refused to entertain the Congress’s plea. The parties, however, came together again in the 2016 Assembly polls.

What prevented the Congress from walking out of the alliance was the long-standing relationship and the emergence of the BJP as a major force at the Centre. It also could not find a suitable ally in Tamil Nadu, as the AIADMK has often taken a soft Hindutva line and has been more comfortable in the company of the BJP. What was expected to happen in the run-up to the 2016 elections has now occurred after the 2026 elections.

“We were not able to find an appropriate reason to leave the alliance, even though there was a strong opinion in favour of joining the TVK of actor Vijay, since we have sailed together in many elections. We could not say no when Mr. Vijay reached out to us. It is the wish of the majority of party workers in the State,” said a senior Congress leader who had opposed snapping ties with the DMK in the 2026 elections.

He added although there was good understanding between the leaders of the DMK and the Congress, the treatment meted out to local Congress leaders by DMK functionaries created considerable resentment. “They are celebrating the end of the alliance,” he said.

The DMK defeated the Congress in 1967 and consigned it to the margins of Tamil Nadu politics thereafter. The two parties remained mutually antagonistic, with a wide gap between them, especially following the Emergency, when many DMK leaders were incarcerated. The Congress’s hopes of re-emerging in Tamil Nadu politics were further dashed by the emergence of another Dravidian party, the AIADMK, launched by M. G. Ramachandran. Between them, the two parties shared power, leaving little space for the Congress, which was forced to align with one or the other.

Its attempt to revive its fortunes in 1980 failed. The Congress, then headed by the late M. P. Subramaniam, succeeded in persuading Mr. Karunanidhi to agree to an equal share of seats and power. However, the plan came a cropper, as the alliance was defeated.

Irrespective of the outcome of the 2026 Assembly elections, the DMK leadership had made up its mind to snap ties with the Congress after the bitter experience of seat-sharing negotiations. Mr. Stalin was reportedly upset that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, with whom he believed he shared a close bond, did not reach out during the negotiations. He also failed to share dais with Mr Stalin during the campaign. When a suggestion to send winning Congress candidates to meet Mr. Stalin and thank him was turned down, it became clear that the relationship had effectively ended.

Another Congress leader, however, questioned the logic of extending blanket support to Mr. Vijay and contesting alongside him in all future elections, including the Rajya Sabha polls.

“We may have differences with the DMK, but no leader in the country has opposed the BJP in the manner Mr. Stalin has. What will be the Congress’s stand if Mr. Vijay does not show a similar commitment to opposing the BJP?” he asked.

He also pointed out that the emergence of TVK has disrupted bipolar politics in the State, potentially making things easier for the BJP, which has been waiting for such an opportunity. “A three-cornered contest will eventually weaken one of the Dravidian parties and may pave the way for the BJP to step in and occupy that space. Even now, the BJP can manoeuvre the situation to its advantage with the help of the Governor. While supporting Mr. Vijay, the Congress cannot afford to allow any compromise in its stand against the BJP,” he said.