Tamil Nadu’s first post-poll alliance in decades appears to have passed its initial six-month test. Despite differences in ideology, political interests and priorities, TVK alliance has remained intact, and governance has continued without a major disruption.The two-year-old TVK, which rode to power on Vijay’s cinematic popularity, fell short of a majority by 11 seats in the 234-member Assembly. It needed 118 seats to remain in power at Fort St George and therefore brought Congress, IUML and VCK into the govt. CPI and CPM extended outside support, ostensibly to prevent BJP from exploiting the political uncertainty. For Congress, the alliance marked a return to power in the state after 59 years.The parties came together under the banner of the Secular Social Justice Victory (SSJV) front. However, despite holding meetings twice, they have not yet finalised a common minimum programme. The absence of such a common framework means the coalition largely relies on power sharing and the personal rapport between its leaders.IUML MLA and minorities welfare minister A M Shahjahan said the party had joined the govt without a clear understanding of Vijay or his political style. “Now, at the end of six months, we are more than satisfied working under a fine CM, who has good intentions and a willingness to work for all sections of society,” said Shahjahan. He cited 20 announcements, including 11 made during the recent budget session, as evidence of the govt’s commitment to minority welfare.VCK minister Vanni Arasu similarly praised Vijay for giving him freedom. The govt’s decision to introduce a bus service to his native Ayan Reddipatti in Virudhunagar, reportedly the first since Independence, is cited as an example of the attention given to the ally.Congress leaders see the arrangement as an opportunity to revive the party’s organisational and political base in Tamil Nadu. Tourism minister Rajeshkumar said power-sharing would help Congress regain relevance ahead of general elections.But the govt is perceived as functioning more like a single-party administration than a coalition. TVK has retained key portfolios and continues to dominate policy decisions.The contradictions are visible. Party leader Thol Thirumavalavan objected to the decision to rename the adi dravidar welfare department as the social justice department, while his colleague Vanni Arasu defended Vijay’s move.Thirumavalavan, who had earlier branded Vijay an “RSS-BJP child” before reversing his position, has now alleged that RSS-BJP elements have surrounded the chief minister and are influencing key govt decisions. He has cited the dissolution of the Justice Kurian Joseph-headed committee on Centre-state relations and alleged violations of reservation norms in the appointment of govt counsels.The govt moved quickly to contain the tensions. Minister C T R Nirmalkumar reached out to Thirumavalavan, while Aadhav Arjuna and A Rajmohan issued statements praising the VCK leader in what appeared to be an attempt to prevent it from escalating. “We expected the police attitude to change in handling SC/ST atrocities in this govt, but the situation remains the same,” said VCK general secretary D Ravikumar.There is also disquiet within the VCK over Aadhav Arjuna’s intervention during Vanni Arasu’s response to a debate in the Assembly. The minister had asked the speaker to expunge Vanni Arasu’s remarks concerning the BJP and its leaders.The decision to discontinue the Kurian Joseph committee has emerged as one of the sharpest points of friction between TVK and its allies. VCK and Left parties criticised the move, while BJP welcomed it and described it as appropriate. Vijay’s silence on the issue, as well as on concerns surrounding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, has also raised questions among allies about the TVK’s commitment to social justice and federalism.TVK has maintained that it would have won more seats and secured a majority had around 97 lakh names not been deleted from Tamil Nadu’s electoral rolls. Thirumavalavan, however, attributed DMK president M K Stalin’s defeat in Kolathur to the same exercise, saying he had warned Stalin about the possibility of defeat following large-scale voter deletions in the constituency.Congress has its concerns about Vijay’s approach towards BJP. Though Congress leaders maintain that TVK is ideologically aligned with Congress at the national level, they recognise the need for the state govt to maintain cordial relations with the BJP-led Union govt to secure funds and support for major projects.Vijay appears to have adopted a two-pronged strategy, maintaining TVK’s ideological alignment with Congress while avoiding a direct confrontation with BJP. The party deputed two senior ministers to the Congress-led INDIA bloc meeting at Sathyamurthy Bhavan, signalling its alignment with the bloc, and participated in the anti-SIR protest organised by its allies. Rajeshkumar expressed confidence that Congress and TVK would put up an impressive performance in the Lok Sabha elections.Ideological differences have surfaced among allies over several other govt decisions, including the proposed new secretariat, controversial circulars by the administration to count Left cadres in a taluk, restrictions on students participating in Left-led protests, and the privatisation of sanitation workers’ jobs. The Left leaders, especially CPM state secretary P Shanmugam, have emerged as persistent critics of the govt. Shanmugam declared that the party couldn’t say support for the TVK govt would last the full five-year term.Yet, none of these differences has escalated into a serious confrontation threatening the coalition or disrupting governance. Despite occasional public criticism and sharp exchanges, the allies have stopped short of withdrawing support. “The govt’s six-month completion is a successful formula for a post-poll coalition govt,” said political commentator Tharasu Shyam.Political analyst Prof Ramu Manivannan, however, described the arrangement as a tactical understanding driven by political convenience rather than ideological commitment. “It is a tactical arrangement, not one based on principled ideology. It will survive because the former DMK allies do not want another election at the cost of the state exchequer,” he said.If TVK ups its tally in the upcoming bypolls, the coalition dynamics could shift.
