Chennai: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, has joined the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu, marking a significant change in the state’s opposition alliance dynamics.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president B Manickam Tagore described TVK’s participation in the INDIA bloc meeting as a “historic day” and said the move would strengthen the alliance in the state.

The development came during a multi-party coordination meeting held at the TNCC headquarters, Sathyamurthy Bhavan, in Chennai on Saturday. Representatives of Congress, TVK, CPI(M), CPI, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) attended the meeting. TVK was represented by Aadhav Arjuna and N Marie Wilson.

The meeting also focused on opposition parties’ campaign against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and their demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Congress calls TVK’s entry a historic development

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Tagore said the inclusion of Vijay’s party had strengthened the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu.

“The INDIA bloc, particularly in Tamil Nadu, is strengthened by the entry of TVK,” he said.

Tagore described the development as a “historic day” for opposition consolidation and said the alliance would now have a broader political presence in the state.

The Congress leader also framed the alliance’s political campaign around opposition to the BJP-led government at the Centre. His comments included criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the RSS-BJP.

Those political characterisations were Tagore’s views and were not independently established claims.

The immediate focus of the meeting, however, was the electoral-roll revision and the opposition’s planned protests against the Election Commission.

INDIA bloc plans protests over voter roll revision

The participating parties decided to organise district-level demonstrations across Tamil Nadu on October 13 and 14, with a larger joint protest scheduled for October 15.

The protests are centred on demands for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

The parties have also planned a march by their MPs to the Election Commission of India headquarters in New Delhi on October 6.

The opposition parties have raised concerns about the electoral-roll revision process and have questioned the Election Commission’s functioning. The allegations and political claims surrounding the SIR process remain contested and should not be treated as established irregularities without supporting evidence.

MDMK founder Vaiko said opposition leaders had come together to address what they described as pressing national issues, including their concerns about the revision of voter rolls.

With TVK now participating in the state-level INDIA bloc, the party is also expected to take part in the October 15 protest against the CEC.

TVK’s position had changed over the past few months

TVK’s formal participation in the INDIA bloc meeting marks a change from the position articulated by Congress leaders earlier this year.

In August, Tagore had said TVK could join the INDIA bloc once it had its own representation in Parliament. At the time, he said the national alliance consisted of parties with MPs and indicated that TVK’s entry would be considered after the party entered Parliament.

A similar distinction had been made earlier in July, when Congress and its Tamil Nadu allies were building a separate state-level alliance with TVK.

At that stage, Tagore had said the parties were working together at the state level but that TVK’s participation in the national INDIA bloc would be discussed only after it secured parliamentary representation.

The latest meeting therefore represents a change in the political arrangement, with TVK now participating directly in the Tamil Nadu-level INDIA bloc platform.

DMK’s absence remains a talking point

The absence of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) from the meeting also drew questions from reporters.

Tagore rejected suggestions that the DMK’s absence indicated a rupture within the opposition alliance. He said the INDIA bloc remained an open platform for political forces opposing the BJP-led government at the Centre.

When asked why the DMK had not attended the particular meeting, Tagore said questions about a party’s decision to skip a specific meeting should be addressed to its leadership.

The DMK’s relationship with the Congress and the broader opposition alliance has been complicated by the Congress-TVK partnership in Tamil Nadu. In July, the DMK had rejected a proposal to bring TVK into the INDIA bloc, with the issue becoming part of wider differences between the parties.

The latest meeting therefore brings together Congress, TVK and several other regional and Left parties, while the DMK was not represented.

Seven parties participate in Chennai meeting

The meeting was attended by representatives of seven parties: Congress, TVK, CPI(M), CPI, VCK, MDMK and IUML.

TVK’s participation was notable because it was the first time the party took part in a state-level INDIA bloc meeting. A resolution welcoming the party’s entry was also adopted at the meeting.

The development comes at a time when Tamil Nadu’s political alignments are undergoing changes. TVK, which entered government after the 2026 Assembly election, has been working with Congress and other parties at the state level, while its relationship with the DMK remains politically separate.

The alliance’s immediate agenda is now focused on coordinated action over the electoral-roll revision and the Election Commission.

TVK’s role adds a new dimension

Vijay’s entry into the state-level INDIA bloc gives the alliance another prominent political constituent at a time when parties are preparing for further electoral and political contests in Tamil Nadu.

For Congress, the move allows it to present a broader state-level coalition involving TVK and several existing allies. For TVK, participation in the bloc represents a closer alignment with opposition parties on issues involving the Election Commission and national politics.

The precise organisational and electoral arrangements between the parties will depend on subsequent discussions. The current development establishes TVK’s participation in the Tamil Nadu-level INDIA bloc and its involvement in the alliance’s upcoming programmes.

The next major event on the alliance’s calendar is the October 15 protest, following district-level demonstrations on October 13 and 14 and the proposed MPs’ march to the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi on October 6.