Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president MK Stalin on Wednesday asserted that his party would form the government on its own after the 2026 Assembly elections, while making it clear that there was no question of sharing power with allies, including the Congress.
Speaking at a roundtable organised by a private news channel, Stalin said the DMK would contest the polls in alliance with the Congress but would lead the government independently.
“The DMK-Congress alliance is strong in Tamil Nadu. We will fight the election together. The question of sharing of power in government does not arise now,” he said, also referring to his “brotherly attachment” with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Expressing confidence, Stalin said the DMK would “form its own government” and make “even greater inroads” than in the 2021 Assembly elections, when the party won 133 seats in the 234-member House. The Congress, which contested as a DMK ally, secured 18 of the 25 seats it fought but did not receive any cabinet berth.
His remarks come amid concerns expressed by the Congress over a delay in initiating seat-sharing talks for the upcoming polls.
On Tuesday, the DMK announced that it would soon form a committee to begin negotiations with alliance partners from February 22, after the Assembly session concludes. The party said the panel would be constituted by Stalin in his capacity as party president.
“The DMK constituency seat-sharing committee, which will be formed soon by the party president, will engage in talks with allies from February 22,” a release from the party headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, said.
The announcement followed statements by Congress leaders expressing dissatisfaction over the delay. AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Girish Chodankar said the Congress had already initiated talks but the DMK was yet to take steps to start formal negotiations.
“We have been waiting since early December, hoping they would immediately start the discussions and clarify the number of seats and constituencies so we can prepare fully for the elections,” Chodankar told media in New Delhi.
He described the delay as “saddening” and said party leaders were keen to begin preparations but were awaiting clarity from the DMK.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai also stressed the need for early talks, saying last-minute decisions on seat allocation could affect poll preparations.
In its statement, the DMK said its cadres were currently engaged in election-related work, including voter list revision, membership drives and training of booth agents. It added that the party’s women’s wing would soon launch a door-to-door campaign as part of its preparations for the assembly polls.
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