As the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections draw closer, tensions in the long-standing alliance between the DMK and the Congress is visible, as leaders from both sides exchange sharp remarks in public. A section of Congress leaders has openly raised the demand for power-sharing in a future government — a move that the DMK has firmly rejected. How have the negotiations been evolving? How are Congress cadres viewing the DMK’s approach? And what does this mean for the opposition space in Tamil Nadu with Vijay’s entry into active politics? In this interview, TNM’s Senior News Editor Shabbir Ahmed speaks to Girish Chodankar, Congress’s election in-charge for Tamil Nadu, on the party’s stand on power-sharing, the speculation around TVK, and the evolving dynamics within the alliance as 2026 elections approaches.