- By Shubham Bajpai
- Wed, 06 May 2026 04:42 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Congress on Wednesday severed ties with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), marking an end to their long-term alliance, as it sided with Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government in Tamil Nadu.
The TVK, which was launched in 2024 by actor-turned-politician Vijay, exceeded expectations to win 108 seats in a 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly. The DMK remained a distant second at 59 seats, followed by AIADMK, which won 47 seats.
Congress, which fought shoulder-to-shoulder with DMK, won 5 seats. While announcing support to TVK, AICC Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar said that the decision was taken citing Vijay’s request seeking support.
The Congress has, however, put a rider of no-entry to 'communal forces. He said, "Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping out of this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India."
Detailing future prospects of their alliance, Chodankar said, "This alliance – founded on mutual respect, appropriate share, and shared responsibility between the two parties is not only for the formation of this government, but also for future elections to the local body organisations, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha".
ALSO READ: Vijay Meets Tamil Nadu Governor, Stakes Claim To Form Govt After TVK's Historic Win
However, this is not the first time that long-term allies have parted ways in Indian politics.
BJP-Shiv Sena: The BJP and undivided Shiv Sena parted ways in 2014, ending a 25-year coalition upon failing to reach a seat-sharing agreement for the Maharashtra Assembly Elections.
The parties rejoined the forces before a final split in 2019, when Uddhav Thackeray-led undivided Shiv Sena joined the Maha Vikas Aghadi camp of ideological rivals, NCP and Congress.
BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal: BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal formed a coalition in 1996 and ruled the state for three terms together. The alliance formally ended after 24 years in 2020 over disagreements over three farmer laws brought in by the BJP government.
BJP and Janata Dal (United): BJP and JDU's alliance had been an on-and-off arrangement. The alliance, formalised in 1999, ended in 2013 for the first time after 14 years. He first left the NDA to protest Narendra Modi’s elevation as PM candidate. However, he rejoined the NDA in 2017. In 2022, he left again to form a Mahagathbandhan government with RJD and Congress.
In 2024, he again left the coalition and joined the NDA.
Congress and NCP: The alliance was formed by the two parties in 1999 and lasted for 15 years. It collapsed in 2014 over disagreements regarding seat-sharing and the CM post.
During that time, Maharashtra saw two major rival alliances going through a split as the BJP-Sena collapse was also happening simultaneously.
NCP, however, again joined forces with Congress under the banner of MVA.