The Hindu reports: The over two-decade-old relationship between the DMK and Congress, with a brief break during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, has finally come to an end. Whenever the two parties engaged in tough bargaining over seat-sharing—first in 2011, when the Congress insisted on being allotted 90 seats and eventually got over 60, and again in 2026, when negotiations reached a stage of brinkmanship—the alliance ended up losing elections.Though together they shaped India’s coalition politics and remained an antidote to the BJP and its ideology, the relationship was not free of tensions. In 2004, DMK leader M.
Karunanidhi, demanding important portfolios for his party’s ministers, as agreed in the pre-poll arrangement, announced they would not assume office until his demands were met. The Congress, then at the mercy of its allies, obliged. However, it stood firm in 2009 and retained the key portfolios.
Background
The 2G spectrum issue further widened the divide between the two parties, and the DMK quit the Congress-led government before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, even though the Congress leadership sent senior leaders, including Pranab Mukherjee, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and A. Antony, to placate Mr. Stalin who stubbornly refused to entertain the Congress’s plea.
Key facts
- The over two-decade-old relationship between the DMK and Congress, with a brief break during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, has finally come to an end.
- Karunanidhi, demanding important portfolios for his party’s ministers, as agreed in the pre-poll arrangement, announced they would not assume office until his demands were met.
- The Congress, then at the mercy of its allies, obliged.
- However, it stood firm in 2009 and retained the key portfolios.
What this means
The parties, however, came together again in the 2016 Assembly polls.What prevented the Congress from walking out of the alliance was the long-standing relationship and the emergence of the BJP as a major force at the Centre. It also could not find a suitable ally in Tamil Nadu, as the AIADMK has often taken a soft Hindutva line and has been more comfortable in the company of the BJP. What was expected to happen in the run-up to the 2016 elections has now occurred after the 2026 elections.“We were not able to find an appropriate reason to leave the alliance, even though there was a strong opinion in favour of joining the TVK of actor Vijay, since we have sailed together in many elections.
We could not say no when Mr. Vijay reached out to us. It is the wish of the majority of party workers in the State,” said a senior Congress leader who had opposed snapping ties with the DMK in the 2026 elections.He added although there was good understanding between the leaders of the DMK and the Congress, the treatment meted out to local Congress leaders by DMK functionaries created considerable resentment.
Originally reported by The Hindu. This story has been edited and re-presented by BRIC Team.
