“The attitude of the Congress high command has created considerable concern among local leaders and cadres. Rahul Gandhi, who visited Puducherry, campaigned separately for Congress candidates (April 6, 2026), raising questions about coordination between DMK and Congress.” | Photo credit: The Hindu
Muthal Konal Muttrilum Konal, a Tamil proverb, roughly translates to “a false beginning inevitably leads to a false end”. A few phrases better describe the arrangement of seats between the DMK and the Congress. Even as the election campaign is gaining momentum and DMK chief along with Chief Minister MK Stalin has already completed many rounds of tour across the state, the Congress high command in Delhi seems to show little interest in an election in which its political stakes are significant. Looks like the party has given up on Tamil Nadu. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has yet to visit the state and, more importantly, has not shared the dais with Mr. Stalin — an absence that raises questions about the alliance’s cohesion. There appears to be little meeting of the minds between the two sides.
The attitude of the Congress high command created considerable concern among local leaders and cadres. Mr. Rahul Gandhi, who visited Puducherry, separately campaigned for Congress candidates and raised questions about the coordination between the two parties that have decided to face the elections together. Even after the deal was reached — allocating 16 seats to the Congress and 13 to the DMK — six rebel Congress candidates filed nominations. Instead of persuading them to withdraw, Mr. Gandhi met the five “rebel” candidates and took photographs with them at the airport. The incident caused huge heartburn in the DMK camp, which had shouldered much of the burden of campaigning for Congress candidates in Tamil Nadu. Mr. Stalin entrusted DMK district secretaries with the responsibility of ensuring the victory of all alliance candidates. To motivate them, he announced ministerial berths for district secretaries who secure the highest number of victories in their respective districts. However, Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu are not sure whether Mr. Rahul Gandhi will tour the state, especially after he did not attend the Thoothukudi meeting despite earlier expectations.
Published – 14 Apr 2026 01:01 IST
