The committee, constituted under the guidance of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, will be chaired by Girish Chodankar, the party’s in-charge for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. TNCC president K. Selvaperrunthagai, Congress Legislative Party leader S. Rajesh Kumar, and two other members will complete the panel, which will hold formal discussions with DMK leaders on the alliance framework. The official announcement was made by TNCC on Saturday.
In recent weeks, media reports suggested the possibility of Congress joining forces with actor Vijay’s new party, TVK. However, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram clarified that the party remains committed to its longstanding alliance with DMK. TVK’s surveys reportedly showed favorable results for such a partnership, but Congress leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, did not consider the option. TVK Deputy General Secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar also rejected the speculation.
Congress MP Manikam Tagore emphasized that the party must secure an appropriate seat share based on its electoral strength and ensure timely decisions to maintain a secular government in Tamil Nadu. He noted the strong working relationship between Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin since 2016.
Tamil Nadu has 234 assembly constituencies. In the 2021 elections, the Congress-DMK alliance contested together, with Congress winning 18 of its 25 seats and DMK securing 159, returning to power after a decade. The alliance also swept all 39 seats in the state during last year’s Lok Sabha elections, with Congress winning nine seats.
The formation of the committee signals early preparations for the 2026 polls and reinforces the Congress-DMK alliance ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
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