The Congress party has offered conditional support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by superstar Vijay in Tamil Nadu, after the party failed to secure a clear majority in the recent elections. With the Congress' support, the TVK now has 113 seats, but still short of the 118-halfway mark, and has reached out to smaller outfits that were previously allied with the DMK.

The DMK has termed the Congress move as 'backstabbing' and has expressed disappointment over the decision. DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai shared a post by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and DMK leader MK Stalin, and said 'I am not the one who abandons in times of difficulty.'

The TVK has also reached out to other smaller parties, including the VCK, CPI, and CPM, which are expected to make their stand clear today. The party had bagged 108 seats on its own, with Vijay winning from two constituencies, while the DMK was reduced to just 59 seats in the 234-seat assembly.

The immediate outlook is that the smaller parties will announce their decision on supporting the TVK today, which will determine the fate of the government formation in Tamil Nadu. The Congress' support to the TVK has sparked a political controversy, with the DMK and other opposition parties criticizing the move.