TVK-led alliance named, PM candidate question remains open

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 10 (ANI): The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led ruling alliance in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday formally named the “Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance” following a meeting of alliance partners at the TVK headquarters in Panaiyur.
The meeting was chaired by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK president C Joseph Vijay and attended by leaders of the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President B Manickam Tagore said after the meeting that the alliance had unanimously accepted Vijay as its leader.
“The alliance has been formed under the leadership of Vijay. It will function in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry under his leadership,” Manickam Tagore said.
He said the alliance had been formed on the principles of secularism and social justice and would contest the upcoming bypolls under the new name.
Manickam Tagore, however, distinguished Vijay's leadership of the state-level alliance from the question of the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
According to Manickam Tagore, the Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance is part of the INDIA bloc, and the Prime Ministerial candidate of the broader INDIA alliance would be decided when the 2029 Lok Sabha election is announced.
Manickam Tagore also said that Rahul Gandhi is the Congress Party’s Prime Ministerial candidate, while the final choice for the INDIA alliance would be made collectively by its constituent parties.
He further said Vijay would campaign for the eventual INDIA alliance Prime Ministerial candidate.
“The Congress Party’s Prime Ministerial candidate is Rahul Gandhi. At the same time, the Prime Ministerial candidate of the INDIA alliance will be decided by the alliance parties,” Mannikkam Tagore said, according to his remarks after the meeting.
Mannickam Tagore's comments came amid recent political discussion over whether Vijay could be projected as a possible Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha election.
The TVK leadership has not formally announced Vijay as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the alliance.
Ahead of Wednesday's meeting, TVK Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna said that there was considerable time before the 2029 Lok Sabha election. He had also said that the country's top constitutional post should be held by a leader from Tamil Nadu, a position that added to speculation over TVK's national ambitions.
The Prime Ministerial issue has also drawn responses from Congress leaders in recent days, with Tagore maintaining that Rahul Gandhi would remain the Congress choice.
The issue was among the points of political discussion ahead of Wednesday's meeting, although the formal agenda of the meeting focused on giving the post-poll alliance an organisational structure and deciding its name and common programme.
The newly named alliance comprises the TVK, Congress, VCK, MDMK and IUML.
Leaders who attended Wednesday's meeting included Tagore, Congress leaders Praveen Chakravarthy and Tharahai Cuthbert, MDMK leader Vaiko and his son Durai, VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan, and IUML leaders KM Kader Mohideen, AM Shahjahan and Syed Farooq Basha.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) did not attend the meeting. Both parties have been extending support to the TVK government from outside while maintaining their independent political positions.
The alliance name combines the terms “Secular”, “Social Justice” and “Victory”. Leaders said the name reflected the political principles and objectives of the coalition.
Manickam Tagore said the alliance represented parties committed to secularism, social justice and protecting the rights of Tamil Nadu.
The meeting was the second major coordination meeting of the parties supporting the TVK-led government since it assumed office.
The discussions also covered the alliance's future organisational structure, including a Common Minimum Programme and a mechanism for coordination among the constituent parties. (ANI)