The Indian National Congress has decided to support actor Thalapathy Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), in forming the next government in Tamil Nadu after the party achieved notable success in the recent state assembly elections but fell short of a majority. Congress MP Shashikant Senthil told NDTV that the party’s Political Affairs Committee approved the decision, with Rahul Gandhi reportedly backing the move from the start. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge preferred that the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee make the final call, which was later confirmed in a virtual meeting.

Congress expects to receive two ministerial positions in the upcoming cabinet, with leaders Girish Chodankar and Praveen Chakravarty maintaining contact with TVK. However, the party has set a key condition that TVK must not ally with the NDA or any of its partners, particularly AIADMK. Vijay is now required to formally approach the state governor to claim the right to form the government and take oath as chief minister.

Following the election results, Vijay expressed gratitude to the people of Tamil Nadu, calling the victory a triumph of democracy.