CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay on September 9 formally named his ruling alliance the “Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance”, bringing together TVK, Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
The announcement came after the second major coordination meeting of the post-election alliance at the TVK headquarters in Panaiyur, Chennai, where leaders discussed formalising the coalition, including a proposed Common Minimum Programme and steering committee.
However, the CPI and CPI(M) again stayed away, choosing to support the Vijay government from outside rather than formally joining the alliance. CPI state secretary M Veerapandian said the party’s outside support was intended to prevent the BJP from gaining power indirectly, while CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam said the Left’s support would remain issue-based to ensure stability in the Assembly.
The new coalition is also facing an internal fault line over the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. While some TVK leaders have projected Vijay as a possible prime ministerial candidate, Congress has maintained that Rahul Gandhi remains its preferred national leader.
Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister and Congress leader S Rajesh Kumar even warned that the party’s two ministers could withdraw from the state cabinet if TVK does not back Gandhi for 2029. TVK has since sought to play down the controversy, saying such comments about Vijay’s national ambitions represent individual views rather than an official party position.
A Coalition Takes Shape
The naming of the alliance marks an attempt by Vijay’s relatively new political organisation to turn its post-election support base into a more structured political front.
The September 9 meeting brought together senior representatives of the five parties, including Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president B Manickam Tagore, Congress leaders Praveen Chakravarthy and Tharahai Cuthbert, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, MDMK leader Vaiko and IUML leader K M Kader Mohideen.
The alliance has been presented as more than a temporary electoral arrangement, with its leaders describing it as an ideological front centred on secularism and social justice. The choice of the word “Victory” also directly echoes Vijay’s political identity.
According to reports, the parties discussed mechanisms to make the coalition function as an organised political entity, including a Common Minimum Programme, a steering committee and a formal leadership structure. Congress’s Manickam Tagore has said Vijay will lead the alliance in Tamil Nadu, while he will lead it in Puducherry.
The development is significant because Congress had joined Vijay’s government along with other parties after the Assembly election, bringing the national party into Tamil Nadu’s new ruling arrangement. Congress ministers Rajesh Kumar and P Vishwanathan had joined the Vijay cabinet in May, ending the party’s 59-year absence from the state’s Council of Ministers.
The Fault Lines Within
The alliance’s formal structure, however, does not mean all parties supporting Vijay’s government are willing to become part of it. The CPI and CPI(M) have now skipped two consecutive formal alliance meetings, including the earlier gathering on July 1.
The Left parties say their relationship with the government is deliberately based on outside support, allowing them to back the administration on issues while retaining the freedom to question its policies. CPI’s M Veerapandian said the party expects Vijay to remain committed to secularism and address concerns involving workers, farmers and weaker sections.
CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam similarly said the party would continue its support but would not participate in the formal alliance structure. Their position also follows disagreements with the government over a controversial circular concerning students and political protests.
TVK ministers subsequently met Left leaders and said officials had acted without the government’s knowledge, but the episode reinforced the Left’s preference for maintaining political independence. The more serious challenge, however, comes from the Congress-TVK disagreement over national leadership.
Calls from within TVK to project Vijay as the Opposition’s possible prime ministerial face in 2029 have unsettled Congress. The issue escalated after Tourism Minister S Rajesh Kumar said Congress’s two ministers would leave the state cabinet if TVK did not accept Rahul Gandhi as the party’s preferred 2029 prime ministerial candidate.
“For us, party is above all other considerations,” Kumar said, adding that Congress cadres wanted to see Gandhi as Prime Minister. TVK has attempted to contain the dispute by maintaining that the “Vijay for PM” comments were the personal views of individual lawmakers.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Tamil Nadu’s new ruling coalition now has a name, but its real test will be whether it can build trust among parties with different political priorities and ambitions. The emphasis on secularism and social justice can be meaningful if it translates into policies that protect dignity, equality and the interests of workers, farmers, minorities and other vulnerable communities not merely into political branding.
At the same time, disagreements over the 2029 prime ministerial candidate should not overshadow the immediate responsibility of governing Tamil Nadu. Coalition politics inevitably involves differences, but those differences are best handled through dialogue rather than public ultimatums or political brinkmanship.
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