From Shiv Sena-Congress To JDU-RJD: Instances When Rivals Became Allies; Is DMK-AIADMK The Next Twist?

Tamil Nadu Politics: Tamil Nadu's politics has witnessed a massive transition in the past few days with the rise of actor-turned-politician Vijay. His newly formed party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single largest party in the recently conducted assembly polls by winning 108 of the total 234 seats. However, TVK still remained short of the majority line, mandating it to seek support from the other parties. While the Congress extended its support, the other regional parties have shown reluctance.

Apart from this, the reports on Wednesday suggested that the arch rivals Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) are also willing to join hands to keep the third force out of power. While there has been no confirmation from either end, the possibility cannot be nullified, as rival parties in India, on multiple occasions, have joined hands when needed.

When Arch-Rivals Joined Hands

Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress in Maharashtra: The three rival parties joined hands after the 2019 state assembly election to keep the BJP out of power. The three parties joined hands despite having ideological differences and criticising each other for decades.

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JDU and RJD in Bihar: Once considered arch-rivals, the parties of Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar came together to contest the 2015 assembly election against the BJP-led NDA. The alliance emerged victorious in the polls; however, Nitish later joined the NDA after two years, citing immoral pressure from the allies.

BJP and PDP in J-K: The Mehbooba Mufti-led party formed the alliance with the BJP after the 2014 Assembly election. While they ran a smooth government for the first few months, the alliance later collapsed in 2018 due to growing tensions.

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Congress and NCP in Maharashtra: Sharad Pawar had separated from Congress and formed his own party after questioning the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. However, both the parties came together after a few years to keep the Shiv Sena and BJP out of power.