Tamil Nadu Governor with CM candidate C. Joseph Vijay. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Tamil Nadu will witness its first coalition government in decades, with the Congress party, an ally of the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam, expected to join the C. Joseph Vijay-led government.
“It will be a coalition government,” Girish Chodankar, in-charge of the state’s All India Congress Committee, said on Saturday (May 9, 2026). Asked if the Congress was seeking a share of power, Mr. Chodankar told The Hindu that the proposal was put to the TVK management, which accepted it.
“You’ll see tomorrow. You can call it a coalition government,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Mr. Vijay, in which Congress candidate P. Viswanathan will also be sworn in as a minister.
The last time Tamil Nadu had a coalition government was in 1952 when Manickavelu Naicker joined the Congress government led by C. Rajagopalachari. Mr. Naicker, however, subsequently became an associate member of the Congress, causing the arrangement to lose the character of a coalition government.
Subsequent attempts to form coalition governments in Tamil Nadu yielded no results. In 2006, although the DMK failed to secure a majority on its own, its alliance partners were not accommodated in the cabinet led by the late DMK leader M. Karunanidhi. While the Congress was interested in joining the government, the DMK avoided it with the support of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), which agreed to outside support.
Even before the 2026 elections, the Congress formed a coalition as a condition for seat-sharing. However, the DMK rejected it then.
Published – 09 May 2026 22:10 IST
