Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president B. Manickam Tagore on Wednesday clarified that while Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will lead the newly formed “Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance” in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the question of the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha election will be decided separately by the INDI bloc, as reported in Deccan Chronicle.
The clarification came after a meeting of alliance partners at the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) headquarters in Panaiyur, chaired by Vijay. The alliance, comprising the TVK, Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), formally adopted its new name at the meeting.
Tagore said the alliance would contest the upcoming bypolls under its new banner and function under Vijay’s leadership in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
However, questions over who could be projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate in 2029 prompted Tagore to draw a distinction between the state-level alliance and the INDIA bloc.
Tagore said, “When the 2029 parliamentary elections are announced, this alliance will achieve a massive victory in Tamil Nadu. The ‘INDIA’ alliance was formed specifically for the parliamentary elections. Regarding the ‘INDIA’ alliance—whenever the parliamentary candidates and the Prime Ministerial candidate is decided—we, as a secular alliance committed to social justice, will extend our full support.”
Asked whether the Prime Ministerial candidate had already been decided and whether Vijay had accepted Rahul Gandhi as the candidate, Tagore said the two matters should not be conflated.
He said, “You seem to be confusing two issues here; Mr. Vijay will function as the leader of this ‘Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance’ here. This alliance is specifically for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. When the 2029 parliamentary elections are announced and the ‘INDIA’ alliance’s Prime Ministerial candidate is named, Mr. Vijay will campaign wholeheartedly for that candidate. What is the confusion?”
When reminded that he had earlier spoken of Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate but had not mentioned his name during Wednesday’s announcement, Tagore reiterated that his position as Congress state president was distinct from the collective decision of the INDIA bloc.
Tagore said, “As the President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, I view Rahul Gandhi as the candidate—but the ‘INDIA’ alliance must make the final decision regarding all candidates. Once the ‘INDIA’ alliance finalizes its candidates, this ‘Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance’ will accept them. That is the decision.”
The remarks come amid speculation over TVK’s national ambitions and whether Vijay could eventually be projected beyond Tamil Nadu. Ahead of the meeting, TVK Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna had said there was considerable time before the 2029 Lok Sabha election and argued that the country’s top constitutional post should be held by a leader from Tamil Nadu.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) did not attend Wednesday’s meeting. Both parties have been supporting the TVK government from outside while maintaining their independent political positions.
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