Vijay's coalition test begins as allies stay divided

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will chair the TVK's second major alliance coordination meeting at the party's headquarters here on Wednesday afternoon, with discussions expected to focus on formalising the ruling coalition's structure amid absence of key allies.

The crucial meeting will focus on establishing a common minimum programme, forming a joint steering committee, and defining an official identity for the alliance built on secularism and social justice.

However, the absence of key allies and differences between the TVK and Congress over national leadership threaten to overshadow the meet.

TVK sources here said that major cabinet partners including the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) have confirmed their participation.

In contrast, the CPI(M) and CPI have chosen to skip the meething, which is their second consecutive boycott of formal alliance talks since July 1.

Clarifying the decision, CPI(M) State Secretary P Shanmugam stated on Tuesday that the Left's outside support remains strictly issue-based to maintain assembly stability.

Unwilling to join a formal apparatus aimed at anchoring future local body and 2029 Lok Sabha pacts without cabinet representation, the Left seeks to preserve its political independence to critique government policies on labour, agriculture, and public affairsAdding to the tension is a public rift between the TVK and the Congress over national leadership.

Demands from TVK legislators and ministers positioning Chief Minister Vijay as a potential Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 general elections have drawn sharp opposition from Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) leaders.

Firmly asserting that Rahul Gandhi remains the undisputed leader of the national opposition bloc, Congress Minister S Rajesh Kumar warned that undermining this consensus could force the party to reconsider its participation in the state cabinet. TVK leadership subsequently attempted to downplay the issue, framing the

statements as personal opinions of individual lawmakers.With the TVK government relying on crucial numbers from the Congress (5 MLAs), alongside the VCK, IUML, and Left parties (2 MLAs each) to sustain its thin majority, Wednesday's meeting will be a major test of Chief Minister Vijay's political dexterity in preserving coalition unity while shaping the state's governance roadmap.