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digital desk- The INDIA alliance, considered the pivot of opposition unity in national politics, has suffered its biggest setback so far. Tamil Nadu’s ruling party DMK has officially indicated to end its alliance with Congress. Senior DMK leader and MP Kanimozhi has written a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker requesting him to make separate seating arrangements for her party’s MPs in the House. In this letter written on May 7, Kanimozhi has clearly cited the changed political circumstances. He has written in his letter that since their alliance with Congress is now over, it is neither logical nor appropriate for DMK MPs to sit with Congress members in the House. Kanimozhi has strongly requested the Lok Sabha Speaker to change the present arrangement to allot independent seating for DMK parliamentary party members.

Why did relationships turn sour?

The script of this major separation was written when the Congress decided to choose a new path in Tamil Nadu politics. Recently, Congress had announced its support to actor-turned-politician Vijay’s party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). Congress had also made it clear that it will fight the upcoming elections in alliance with Vijay’s party. This move by the Congress was seen by the DMK as a threat to its regional dominance, as a result of which the alliance has now broken at the national level as well.

There will be a big impact on the equations of Parliament

In the Parliament, DMK currently has 22 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 8 in the Rajya Sabha, due to which this huge political separation is expected to have a direct and widespread impact on the overall strength of the opposition camp. After breaking away from the alliance, DMK now wants to maintain a completely independent identity within the House, so that it can express its views clearly on regional and national issues without any external pressure. The biggest impact of this move will be visible during future voting on important bills, where the DMK’s stand may now differ from that of the Congress and other opposition parties. This situation can completely change the political calculations of both the ruling party and the opposition in the House. Additionally, if the Lok Sabha Speaker accepts Kanimozhi’s request, there will be a major change in the ‘seating chart’ of Parliament and the DMK will be seen as an independent faction in the opposition gallery, which is likely to reduce the collective strength of the alliance.

Question mark on opposition unity

DMK and Congress have long been each other’s strongest allies in politics at the Center and in Tamil Nadu. The pair had also made a clean sweep in the South in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In such a situation, DMK’s exit from the ‘INDIA’ alliance raises serious questions on the future of opposition unity. Experts of regional politics believe that this separation will not only change the equations within the Parliament, but will also give rise to new power centers in the regional politics of Tamil Nadu.