DMK-AIADMK Alliance Possible in Tamil Nadu Amid TVK Rise

The DMK and AIADMK, arch-rivals in Tamil Nadu, may form an alliance to keep Vijay's TVK out of power, sources told NDTV. This comes after TVK's significant win in the recent assembly election, where it emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats.
The potential alliance is driven by the Udhayanidhi Stalin faction of the DMK, which fears that Vijay could bring about a repeat of the years under AIADMK's iconic Chief Minister MG Ramachandran. The AIADMK, having suffered four successive poll defeats since J Jayalalithaa's death, is considering the alliance for survival.
The BJP is reportedly interested in keeping the Congress out of power, and the alliance would require the support of the Left and VCK. However, there are concerns about public reaction to such an alliance, with seniors in the DMK worried about a potential backlash from supporters.
The TVK has declared that all its 108 MLAs will resign if a DMK-AIADMK alliance is formed and stakes claim to form government. The Governor, RV Arlekar, has refused to allow Vijay to stake claim, citing the need for letters of support from 118 legislators.
The immediate outlook is that the Left and VCK need to sign off on the alliance plan, and the Governor's decision on inviting the TVK to form government is still pending. The court will likely be involved in resolving the political deadlock, with the 16th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly's tenure expiring on May 10.