TVK Holds Meeting With Allies

Chennai: In a sort of thanksgiving exercise, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay organized a dinner meeting for the leaders of the alliance parties that helped the TVK form the government in the State at a five-star beach resort in Kovalam and reportedly urged them to stand by the government in the Assembly and outside of it in future.

When preparations for the meeting were on with leaders of the TVK like N Anand and Adhav Arjuna going around inviting the key honchos of the alliance parties, it was said that the coalition that looked more like a ragtag collective since its formation itself was more informal with parties coming in one after the other and joining hands would gain an organizational structure and also be given a name.

However, no name was given to the coalition at the meeting, which only displayed the bonhomie between the leaders of the diverse parties. But prominent leaders from the Congress, who took the party away from the Secular Progressive Alliance soon after the group’s electoral debacle, were present exchanging pleasantries.

Chief Minister Vijay is said to have addressed the allies by thanking them for the support, without which the government would not have been formed. He also requested them to continue the support and help the TVK provide a stable, corruption-free and efficient government.

The backing of the allies is highly essential for the TVK as it would soon be facing seven by-elections – six to fill vacancies caused by the resignations of AIADMK MLAs and one for the Trichy East that was vacated by the Chief Minister who decided to keep Perumbur out of the two seats he contested and won – and with the burden of winning them weighing them down.

Winning the by-elections, which would be called for in less than five months’ time, was important for the party’s survival since the State would going for the local body polls that would a real acid test for the ruling party and also to the other traditional behemoths like the DMK and AIADMK to test their relevance in the present scenario.

Since the TVK does not have a robust booth committee infrastructure, it might need the help and guidance of the leaders who had defected to camp from parties like the AIADMK having local leaders with influence at the grassroots levels.

So, not only will Vijay reach out to the traditional parties among the allies for guidance and human resources but also the experienced grassroots workers from other parties would line up to render their services to the TVK-led coalition to upkeep the party’s popularity in the political arena.

It was in that backdrop the meeting at the beach resort assumed importance for the meeting would have provided them the forum to discuss and finalize the working of the alliance in future.

Vijay, in message on X, on the meeting in Kovalam said that his party was providing a corruption-free, honest and conscious democratic government and had a discussion with the allies.