A day after Congress ended its alliance with the DMK and extended support to Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in its bid to form the government in Tamil Nadu, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took an indirect swipe at Congress while reaffirming his loyalty to the INDIA bloc during challenging times.

On Friday, Akhilesh shared photographs on X featuring Mamata Banerjee and M. K. Stalin, writing, “We are not the ones who abandon each other in difficult times.” His remarks came shortly after his meeting with Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata, following the TMC’s disappointing performance in Bengal.

The political developments unfolded after Congress decided to back actor-turned-politician Vijay and his TVK party, officially breaking ties with the DMK. Since the Tamil Nadu Assembly election delivered a fractured mandate, TVK has been actively reaching out to regional and Left parties to gather support for government formation. With the backing of Congress’s five MLAs, the TVK-led camp currently holds 112 seats in the 234-member Assembly, still short of the majority mark of 118.

Political activity intensified in Chennai as both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India held separate meetings to discuss their stance on supporting TVK. Both Left parties hold two seats each in the Assembly. Later in the day, they are also expected to hold discussions with the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), which has two MLAs. If all three parties decide to support Vijay, the TVK alliance could comfortably cross the majority threshold. On Thursday night, TVK Joint General Secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar met CPI leaders in Chennai to seek their support for forming the next government.

CPI(M) leader P. Shanmugam confirmed that Vijay had sent a formal letter to the party requesting support. He stated that the matter would be discussed during the party’s state committee meeting before a final decision is taken. Shanmugam also argued that, constitutionally, TVK should be invited first to form the government as it emerged as the single largest party. Referring to the unusual electoral outcome, he noted that Tamil Nadu is witnessing a hung Assembly for the first time in decades and maintained that the Governor should call Vijay to stake claim.

He further criticised the Governor’s reported insistence on proving majority support before swearing-in, saying such a condition was not appropriate. The Tamil Nadu unit of CPI echoed similar sentiments, stating that since TVK won 108 seats and emerged as the largest party, Vijay should be given the first opportunity to form the government. The party also questioned the Governor’s approach of demanding proof of majority ahead of the oath-taking process.

The flurry of meetings and negotiations comes after the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections produced a dramatic political shift. TVK’s strong performance disrupted the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK, reshaping the state’s political landscape and opening the door for a new coalition-era government.