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India post-elections: Despite huge win, Joseph Vijay struggles to form Tamil Nadu government
The Congress, part of the ‘India’ bloc along with DMK, hastily dumped its partner and rushed to back the TVK, riling its key ally, which lashed out at the party
- PUBLISHED: Wed 6 May 2026, 1:29 PM
Despite emerging as the single-largest party in Tamil Nadu, superstar Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is finding it tough getting the backing of a dozen other legislators in the state to form a government. The BJP, the Congress, the DMK and the AIADMK are all involved in the crisis, even as the actor has reached out to possible allies.
The TVK emerged as the single-largest party, winning 108 seats in the 234-strong assembly. However, Joseph won from two seats (Tiruchirappalli East and Perambur) and will have to quit one, reducing his party’s strength to 107. The party will also nominate one legislator as the speaker of the assembly, who will not be able to vote during the confidence motion, bringing its effective strength down to 106.
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The Congress, part of the ‘India’ bloc along with DMK, hastily dumped its partner and rushed to back the TVK, riling its key ally, which lashed out at the party.
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Saravanan Annadurai, the DMK spokesperson, described the Congress as ‘The Backstabbers’ in a post on X. He also reminded the media that M.K. Stalin, the DMK chief and the outgoing chief minister, had made Rahul Gandhi of the Congress the prime ministerial candidate in 2016.
“The Congress party has decided to ally with the TVK and extend support to them. This is nothing but a backstab—against us, and more importantly, against the people of Tamil Nadu who gave their mandate,” said Annadurai. “It appears they are heading towards self-destruction for the sake of securing a couple of cabinet berths.”
The DMK spokesperson also lashed out at the TVK for not criticising the BJP or Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Vijay's first thanks is not to the people of the state who elected him, not to his constituents who elected him, not to his members who worked for him to get him elected,” said Annadurai. “His first thanks is to PM Modi. And Rahul Gandhi wants to support this kind of person?"
The Congress won a mere five seats in the legislature and cannot ensure the TVK gets the majority.
Another senior DMK spokesperson, T.K.S. Elangovan also lashed out at the Congress, accusing it of wanting to support Vijay from the beginning. “The Congress is doing it in every state, and ultimately, they are losing in all of them,” he told journalists. “They were wiped off in Delhi and West Bengal. They have no chance in Maharashtra. They are doing something which will close their party.”
TVK on Wednesday also reached out to Edappadi K Palaniswami, the AIADMK chief, seeking his support to form a government. The party won 47 seats, ranking third after the TVK and the DMK (which won 59 seats).
Not everyone in the AIADMK, however, is backing the move to endorse Vijay’s party. Some AIADMK leaders want the party to extend outside support to the superstar and not join the government.
'Jana Nayagan'
Meanwhile, there are reports that with Vijay emerging as the likely chief minister of the state, the fortunes of his final film, Jana Nayagan (People’s leader) are also likely to be revived. The film’s release in January was stopped after the Central Board of Film Certification refused to certify it. The filmmakers challenged the decision and the case is still pending in court. But in April, the film was leaked online. Vijay alleged a ‘conspiracy’ over the delay in releasing the film.
The film was produced at a cost Rs5 billion (about Dh193 million). But with his victory in the state assembly elections, the prospects of its quick release are being talked about. “We are yet to get a final release date,” D C Elangovan of the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association, told the media. “The advantage of Vijay’s victory is that the profit of theatres and the industry will be doubled. The movie may give a much-needed boost to the Tamil film industry.”
Vijay ranks among India’s top stars and his last five movies churned global revenues of over Rs20 billion (about Dh775 million). He is also among India’s highest-paid actors, ranking number two after Allu Arjun (Telugu films) and above Shah Rukh Khan and Rajinikanth, according to industry estimates.
