The recent Assembly election outcomes have not only weakened regional parties and smaller anti-BJP formations, but also reshaped the balance of power in the Lok Sabha, where the ruling party does not command a majority on its own.
While the BJP continues to depend on its NDA allies to cross the halfway mark in the Lower House, the electoral setback suffered by regional heavyweights has provided the party with a major strategic advantage. With the DMK distancing itself from former ally Congress, it is keeping open the possibility of offering issue-based support to the BJP, sources said.
Sources within the DMK also confirmed that its “options remain open” and that the altered political environment has “brought the party back to the negotiation table”. “The Tamil Nadu government is surviving on a wafer-thin majority, so our options stay open. The DMK remains united as a party and we can negotiate with the BJP in Parliament as well,” a DMK MP said.
Asked whether the DMK would consider backing the Narendra Modi-led government on important Bills and issues, the MP said: “The likelihood is very high. We have so far maintained an adversarial stand, but now we can negotiate with the BJP. Having lost fundamental trust in the Congress, there is nothing preventing us from moving closer to the BJP.”
Sources said the DMK could consider supporting the BJP on matters such as “One Nation, One Election” — the proposal to synchronise Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The Bill, formally titled the 129th Constitution Amendment Bill, is presently under review by a Joint Parliamentary Committee headed by BJP leader P P Chaudhary.
DMK leaders argued that closer coordination with the Centre could help the party secure favourable decisions on infrastructure initiatives and policy matters such as NEET, enabling it to claim credit for development projects in Tamil Nadu. “We can bring in projects and policies that support Tamil Nadu’s development,” the MP added.
Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed NEET, arguing that the national entrance examination disadvantages students from rural areas and the State Board system.
In the Lok Sabha, where the BJP has 240 MPs and relies on allies to pass Bills, potential support from the 22-member DMK — the two parties were allies from 1999 to 2003 — on issues where they find common ground could prove crucial for its legislative and reform agenda. Recently, however, the Constitutional amendment Bills to expand the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies with the objective of implementing the women’s reservation law was defeated as the NDA failed to secure the required two-thirds majority, with the DMK leading the resistance.
After actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single-largest party in Tamil Nadu, the Congress, followed by the Left, IUML and VCK, supported it.
Shift in national politics
Sources said the DMK’s openness to issue-based support marks a significant shift in national politics and could benefit the BJP, which won only 1 seat in Tamil Nadu. “The developments in Tamil Nadu are ultimately beneficial for the BJP. They have not only exposed the Congress, weakened the INDIA bloc, and warned other Opposition parties against the Congress, but also opened the possibility for a favourable political realignment. One cannot rule out the emergence of a DMK-AIADMK-BJP coalition before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls,” a senior BJP leader said.