CHENNAI: Vaiko’s MDMK on Saturday decided to walk out of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance after being a part of it for nearly nine years. The party had contested the 2026 Assembly election under the SPA alliance.
The key resolution taken at the party’s 32nd general council meeting on Saturday said MDMK had sided with DMK since 2017 to prevent communal forces from gaining strength in Tamil Nadu and to protect the core ideals of the Dravidian movement.
However, it said that political developments after the Assembly election, including reports that DMK was willing to help AIADMK form the government despite AIADMK having won only 47 seats, had weakened the alliance’s claim of being rooted in ideology.
The resolution said party functionaries and cadres had strongly felt that MDMK should no longer continue in the DMK-led alliance. It therefore decided to withdraw from the alliance. It also stated that the party would take an appropriate decision on electoral alliances when elections are announced.
The meeting was held in Chennai under the chairmanship of its presidium chairman Auditor A Arjunaraj. MDMK general secretary Vaiko, deputy general secretaries and district secretaries attended the meeting, where the party passed 23 resolutions.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Vaiko said almost every speaker in the general council had insisted that the party should immediately leave the DMK-led alliance. He said the resolution was passed unanimously.
Speaking about the reported move by DMK to back an AIADMK-led government to prevent TVK from forming the government, Vaiko said that if those reports were true, it would have amounted to a “major political fraud”. He said such a move was difficult to understand, considering the long history of political rivalry between the DMK and the AIADMK.
‘Will support TVK’
Going beyond the general council resolution, Vaiko said MDMK would support TVK in the Assembly by-elections and would also work towards a friendly relationship with the party in the local body elections. However, the general council resolution had only stated that the party would decide on future electoral alliances when elections are announced.
Explaining the reason for supporting the TVK government, Vaiko said the government had reduced corruption and commissions, was committed to protecting reservation and social justice, and continued to follow the two-language policy while opposing the three-language policy.
Vaiko accuses DMK of horse trading
Chennai: MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Saturday said Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had suggested that if the party’s two MLAs chose to resign, he would personally campaign for them in the byelections. Speaking to reporters after the MDMK general council meeting, Vaiko said the party’s Sirkazhi MLA R Senthil Selvan announced that he would remain with DMK.
Vaiko, however, said Kadayanallur MLA M Rajendran had informed him that he would continue in MDMK while remaining an MLA. It may be noted that MDMK had contested the 2026 Assembly elections on DMK’s ‘Rising Sun’ symbol. Rejecting allegations of “horse trading” by TVK, Vaiko indirectly blamed DMK for Senthil Selvan’s decision to stay with DMK.
“Which party is doing horse trading? They have taken away one MLA (of MDMK). Is this horse trading or something else?” he asked. When asked whether people would question MDMK if its MLAs resigned to seek a fresh mandate, Vaiko said voters would understand the party’s stand.