The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), founded by late actor-turned-politician Vijayakant, on Thursday, February 19, announced an alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Party chief Premalatha Vijayakant made the announcement after meeting Chief Minister MK Stalin at Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters in Chennai.
“You have been eagerly asking me for an answer regarding the alliance, and today I have one for you,” Premalatha said after the meeting. “We gathered opinions from cadres at every level of the party. All our district secretaries and party workers expressed their desire for an alliance with the DMK.”
She added that the alliance was confident of winning over 200 seats in the upcoming elections. Premalatha also said that joining hands with the DMK had been the wish of Captain Vijayakant, but despite several rounds of talks in the past, it had not materialised until now, nearly a decade later.
On seat-sharing arrangements, she said a committee would be formed to hold discussions, and the final decision would be announced by Chief Minister Stalin as the head of the alliance.
Reacting to the development on X (formerly Twitter), Stalin said he was “immensely happy” that the DMDK, founded by Vijayakant, whom he described as a dear friend who held deep affection for former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, had joined the secular progressive alliance.
Opposition parties, however, criticised the move. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu termed it a betrayal, stating on social media that Vijayakant had fought against the DMK throughout his political career.
In a strongly worded post, the party said Vijayakant had dedicated his life to opposing the DMK and accused the ruling party of having subjected him and the DMDK to “cruelty and humiliation". It added that the decision to align with the DMK would not be forgiven by his supporters.