With just 18 months for Assembly elections, Stalin faces heat from ‘obedient partners’

Chennai: Three-and-a-half years into M K Stalin’s tenure as Chief Minister, DMK is facing heat from its hitherto “obedient” alliance partners, who are now seeking to put the government on the mat over a slew of issues, with just 18 months to go for the crucial 2026 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

The DMK dispensation has had an extended honeymoon period with allies refraining from pointing fingers at the ruling party even as the scattered Opposition came under attack for failing to “needle” the ruling party and giving it a long rope for years together.

The unease among the constituents of the seven-year-old “ideologically-weaved alliance” became visible just weeks after the combine scored a historic 40/40 in the Lok Sabha polls. The death of 66 people, mostly Dalits, due to consumption of illicit liquor in Kallakurichi, a spate of murders in the state especially the killing of state BSP chief K Armstrong, and handling of the Samsung workers’ strike, are some of the issues that have brought DMK in the line of fire of its own alliance partners in the past four months.

Criticism by allies

Though it is “premature” to say whether the disquiet will threaten the alliance’s longevity, criticism by leaders of VCK, CPI (M), and Congress on the above issues and terming the death of five people after the IAF air show as an “administrative failure” have clearly exposed the chinks within the political combine.

VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan took the DMK by surprise in September by announcing an anti-liquor conference to press the government to announce prohibition and giving an open invitation to the AIADMK. Remarks by his colleague Aadhav Arjuna did embarrass the DMK, which later extracted an assurance from Thirumavalavan that he would continue to be part of the alliance.

The standoff between CPI-M’s CITU and the government over registration of the union in Samsung India’s manufacturing facility near Chennai has led to a slanging match between the Left parties and the DMK on social media.

Samsung issue and AIADMK as an option

CPI(M) state secretary K Balakrishnan didn’t hide his displeasure at the handling of the issue by the DMK leadership, who he said, shouldn’t expect alliance partners to “keep quiet” on matters of public importance.

“Don’t expect us to tie our hands and listen to you all the time. When the government makes decisions that we believe don’t bring good to people, we will protest. It is unfair on the part of the DMK to expect us to be mute spectators,” he told a television channel in a recent interview.

It was the anti-BJP stance that served as the glue for the parties to come under one umbrella and taste success in three consecutive elections, but the growing realisation that this may not “work spectacularly” in the 2026 assembly elections as it did in 2024 Lok Sabha elections is cited as one of the reasons for the alliance partners to raise their voice against the DMK.

Moreover, the allies now feel empowered as they have an option to ally with the AIADMK, which doesn’t miss any opportunity to flaunt its opposition to the BJP after having walked out of the NDA last year. And, actor Vijay’s entry into politics also makes it absolutely necessary for the DMK to keep the alliance intact, giving another reason for alliance partners to get vocal than ever.

The sudden stand by allies is in complete contrast to their behaviour before the Lok Sabha polls for which they were condemned by several quarters.

Though VCK did protest against continued violence on Dalits, activists felt the party should have been more vociferous and shouldn’t condone such incidents to stay in alliance with the DMK. Congress too came under intense criticism for not criticising the DMK over its outreach to Rajiv Gandhi case convicts like A G Perarivalan, who was released in 2022.

‘Allies want to be pampered by DMK’

Political analyst Maalan Narayanan said the current developments should be viewed from the prism of the 2026 assembly polls, which is the goal of every political party. “The DMK believes it is invincible as it feels Opposition parties coming together to form a joint front against it is impossible as of now. At the same time, the DMK doesn’t want the alliance to break as they are not very confident of going to the polls alone,” he told DH.

It is in these circumstances that the alliance partners want an assurance from the DMK that their share in seats for the 2026 polls will be increased. “While the DMK feels it is too early to yield to pressure, the alliance partner wants to be pampered and pacified. They want the DMK to assure them at least in private that their demands will be met. But the ruling party isn’t willing so far,” he added.

The pressure exerted by the alliance partners could also embolden teachers and government employees to up their ante against the DMK dispensation on issues like increase in pay and reverting to the Old Pension System. “The DMK should prepare itself to face more pressure from various quarters in the coming weeks and months,” Maalan added.