'On the day of the results itself, Vijay personally requested Rahul Gandhi for support from the Congress.'
IMAGE: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay with Rahul Gandhi after the swearing-in ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Chennai, May 10, 2026. Photograph: Riya Mariyam R/Reuters
Key Points
- 'It was very clear that a vast majority of youth, people below the age of 40, cutting across caste and class and geography and ideology, very, very clearly felt that they were tired of the two-party status quo establishment politics. They wanted change.'
- 'They wanted to give the TVK a chance. And they constitute 40% of the total electorate. So it was very obvious to me that the TVK was going to do very well.'
- 'A large majority of us felt that said this was a once in a 50 year opportunity for the Congress to align with the TVK for the election.'
The first party to extend support to the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam after the TVK was elected the single largest party in the 2026 assembly election was the Congress with five elected representatives.
The CPI, CPI-M, VCK and IUML extended support after days of suspense.
On Sunday, May 10, 2026, the TVK with the support of all these parties formed the government in Tamil Nadu with C Joseph Vijay as chief minister.
After the swearing in ceremony, Vijay thanked quite a few people, including someone who he described as a friend -- Congress leader Praveen Chakravarthy.
In this interview with Rediff's Shobha Warrier, Praveen Chakravarthy reveals the talks he initiated with Vijay before and after the elections.
"It was felt that the Congress party in Tamil Nadu was not being given adequate room and space to grow," says Mr. Chakravarthy in the first of a two-part must-read interview.
Were you instrumental in bringing about the alliance between the Congress and TVK?
I don't know how to answer that question. Yes, I had a role to play.
When did the talks start? Before the results were out, or before the elections itself?
I think it is quite well known by now that a vast majority of Tamil Nadu Congress leaders -- functionaries, cadres, workers, office bearers, including myself -- favoured an alliance with the TVK even before the elections.
Was it because the DMK never let the Congress be part of the state government?
No, it's not as simple as that.
There are two elements to it. First and foremost, we saw the TVK as ideologically similar to us.
From day one, they said their ideological enemy was the BJP and they stood for secular progressive politics, which is exactly what the Congress party's ideology is.
Second, we saw very clearly that the TVK is a rising force.
I've given many interviews before the elections, way back in August or September last year that the TVK would be a very strong political force contrary to what people were thinking back then, that they were just fan clubs.
IMAGE: Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Vijay and Rahul Gandhi stand for the National Anthem during the swearing in ceremony in Chennai, May 10, 2026. Photograph: ANI Photo
What gave you that feeling?
It is mainly due to my groundwork that we had done using data.
My data constantly showed that the TVK would be a very big political force.
So, it was very clear to us that a vast majority of youth, people below the age of 40, cutting across caste and class and geography and ideology, very, very clearly felt that they were tired of the two-party status quo establishment politics. They wanted change.
They wanted to give the TVK a chance. And they constitute 40% of the total electorate. So it was very obvious to me that the TVK was going to do very well.
The second part is the DMK part. Yes, for long, for the last more than almost two decades, Congress workers felt that they did not get the respect, the authority, the requisite share in power from the DMK.
That was the feeling of the Tamil Nadu Congress.
It's not just being a part of the cabinet or anything, it is also about the number of seats allotted in the local body polls elections, getting things done locally at the constituency level.
It was felt that the Congress in Tamil Nadu was not being given adequate room and space to grow.
So these two factors combined, a large majority of us felt that said this was a once in a 50 year opportunity for the Congress to align with the TVK for the election.
Of course, it did not happen. That was because the Congress high command and their leadership, and some older leaders of the Tamil Nadu Congress, favoured the status quo and continuity, for whatever reasons.
IMAGE: Praveen Chakravarthy with Vijay. Photograph: Kind courtesy Praveen Chakravarthy
You mean, majority of Tamil Nadu Congressman favoured an alliance with the TVK before the election itself?
Absolutely. Except for a few MPs and MLAs who were elected with help from the DMK. They were obviously obliged to the DMK and their families.
Other than that, the vast majority of cadre and functionaries favoured an alliance with the TVK.
IMAGE: Praveen Chakravarthy with Rahul Gandhi. Photograph: Kind courtesy Praveen Chakravarthy
How did the talks start between the two parties? Chief Minister Vijay, after the swearing in ceremony, specifically mentioned your name.
Before the elections, I had initiated conversations with Mr. Vijay.
Then Mr. Rahul Gandhi spoke on the phone with Mr. Vijay twice. That was before the elections. One was after the Karur episode and one more time.
With the full knowledge and approval from the Congress leadership, which includes Mr. Girish Chodankar, I was asked to engage with the TVK and continue to be the mediator. That's how the talks started about a potential alliance.
IMAGE: Rahul Gandhi with then Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK President M K Stalin. Photograph: ANI Photo
You couldn't ally with the TVK before the election. After the election, the Congress was the first party to announce its support to the TVK when it was a hung assembly. Was it a difficult decision?
No. Because the vast majority of Congressmen wanted an alliance even before the election.
Before the election, we didn't know what was going to happen. We could have formed an alliance with the TVK and we could have lost.
Or the TVK could have won a majority.
Regardless, our cadre and all of us felt the TVK alliance was a better option for the Congress party.
So what happened after the results was, on the day of the results, I hosted a call between Mr. Rahul Gandhi and Mr. Vijay.
Mr. Rahul Gandhi congratulated Mr. Vijay on becoming the single largest party.
And on that call itself, let me stress, on the day of the results itself, Mr. Vijay personally requested Mr. Rahul Gandhi for support from the Congress.
Were you part of the conversation at that time?
Yes, I was part of the conversation and I only say things that I know first-hand.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff