The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is seeking to redefine its space in national politics after parting ways with the Congress following the defeat of the alliance in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election. The DMK, which had made anti-Hindutva its main plank in all elections it had fought since 2019, cannot rush into an alliance with the other national party, the BJP.

After the election, the Congress–DMK parting was unpleasant. Even as the DMK emerged a distant second in the polls, the results threw up a hung Assembly, and the Congress rushed to offer support to the largest single party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), headed by actor C. Joseph Vijay.

While the Congress insists that the DMK was kept in the loop over its decision to ally with the TVK, the DMK leadership was offended over the manner in which Congress leaders spoke about the issue. “We left only after informing them [the DMK leadership],” senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who was part of 2026 pre-election seat negotiation team, told a Tamil cable news television channel on June 6. “I do not want to say anything more about this,” he added.

Three Congress leaders, who spoke out of turn against the DMK, added to the strain between the parties. The first one was a local leader from the Central districts, Tiruchi Velusamy, who said that the party was betrayed by the DMK and that it was not given adequate seats to contest the election. The other two leaders, Manickam Tagore, MP, and Praveen Chakravarthy, leader of the Congress unit, the Professional Congress, were strident in their criticism of the DMK throughout the election and even later. The Congress leadership did not rein them in.

During the seat negotiations in the run up to the 2026 election, the DMK parted with a Rajya Sabha seat in favour of the Congress. Soon after the election, the Congress entered into another partnership with the TVK, wherein it got another Rajya Sabha seat. In a space of just over a fortnight, the Congress picked up two Rajya Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu, merely by aligning with two different parties. “In which world is this ethical,” asked a DMK leader. The Congress also entered into an alliance with the TVK for the upcoming local body elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha election.

All the other allies of the party—the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, and the Indian Union Muslim League—parted amicably from the DMK alliance. The alliance leaders met the DMK president M.K. Stalin and conferred with him ahead of leaving the alliance, and joining the TVK government. None of the Congress MLAs or leaders met Stalin after the election. This is one reason that the DMK feels that it has been humiliated.

In fact, the CPI(M) State secretary, P. Shanmugham, told presspersons on June 7 that though the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance did not exist any longer, his party would work with the DMK when required. “On questions of rights of Tamil Nadu and welfare of Tamils, we will work with the DMK,” he said. The CPI is not so sure. Its state secretary, M. Veerapandian, told the media in Denkanikottai in Krishnagiri on June 8 that the party’s top committees will take a call on continuing with the DMK alliance. This is significant because the Left parties in Tamil Nadu have often taken a similar stand on most issues.

The DMK’s decision to stay away from the meeting of the INDIA bloc partners in New Delhi on June 8 marks a clean break from its long-standing relationship with the Congress. The DMK is a founding member of the INDIA bloc, which was formed in 2023. The DMK’s former allies, which parted ways with the DMK and offered support to the TVK after it failed to garner majority in the Tamil Nadu Assembly—the CPI(M), the CPI, the VCK, the IUML—and the MDMK, attended the meet. Strangely, the TVK was missing from the line up.

Asked about the absence of the TVK, Manickam Tagore told Frontline: “The meeting is only for those political parties which have members in Parliament.” While this explanation is sound, the fact remains that Chief Minister Vijay did not meet Rahul Gandhi while he was in Delhi on May 27 and 28. The media was given to understand that Vijay would meet Rahul Gandhi on May 28. But soon after the May 27 appointment with the Prime Minister, Vijay met only one another Union Minister–Nirmala Sitharaman. He could not meet the Union Home Minister Amit Shah too. He met a few civil servants posted in Delhi though, including Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan.

While participating in the INDIA bloc meeting, VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan lashed out at the Congress for its “treatment” of allies. “The approach adopted by the Congress party during the recent elections has caused dissatisfaction among several constituents of the INDIA bloc. In particular, the Congress party’s electoral strategy in Kerala, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu weakened parties that have been among the strongest pillars of this alliance, including the Trinamool Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the DMK,” he told the meeting. A copy of his address was shared with the press.

The Congress has since made several moves to placate the Trinamool, which is undergoing a huge split. But there has been no such outreach towards the CPI(M) and the DMK. Through an open letter, the CPI(M) has sought a clarification from the Congress on the charge made by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, that the CPI(M) and the BJP were working in coordination in Kerala. There has been no response from the Congress. Rahul Gandhi, who was in Chennai on May 10 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Vijay, did not think it fit to make a courtesy call on Stalin. The DMK, which has decided enough is enough, has pulled the plug.

Earlier, the party had asked the Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, to allocate separate seats for its members after the Congress parted ways with the DMK in Tamil Nadu. There are 22 DMK MPs in the Lok Sabha, and eight MPs in the Rajya Sabha. On May 7, the DMK’s parliamentary party leader, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, wrote to Om Birla, seeking changes in the seating arrangements. “In view of the changed political circumstances and as our alliance with the Indian National Congress has come to an end, it may not be appropriate for our Members to continue occupying the present seating arrangement alongside them in the House,” the letter said. The Speaker has accepted the demand.

The DMK’s stand on a variety of national issues will become clear once the monsoon session convenes around the second half of July 2026. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is keen on re-introducing the Delimitation Bill as early as possible. The DMK had sought specific changes in the Bill. If these changes are not incorporated, the DMK will be hard-pressed to oppose the Bill.

This presents the DMK with a unique dilemma. Already, speculation is swirling around that the DMK and the BJP are moving closer. There were a couple of articles in the national media claiming that the DMK would join the NDA, and would be rewarded with a few Cabinet berths. One DMK leader has discounted these stories, and said that the DMK cannot give up its principles, and jump into an alliance. “We have opposed many policies of the BJP, from NEET to PM-SHRI schools to imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu. We will fight for the rights of the Tamil people. We are in alliance with the Tamil people,” he added.

How will the DMK take forward its agenda with a stronger BJP emerging at the Centre? DMK, which was friendless in Delhi when the 2G scam stories made headlines across India in 2011, has learnt from its mistakes. In the past decade, it has built relationships with leaders and political parties across the spectrum. The party says that it has a strategy in place. “We are in touch with opposition political parties. We will work with them,” Kanimozhi told Frontline.

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