Congress weighed dumping DMK before polls

NEW DELHI: On Monday, even as it became clear that actor C Joseph Vijay's TVK would emerge the single largest party in Tamil Nadu, some Congress leaders were sporting “we told you so” looks.

- Sunetra Choudhury

HT confirmed with at least three key party functionaries that in the run-up to the election, the Congress seriously considered dumping long-term ally DMK and going with Vijay. And the party still sees the opportunity to partner with the startup. “Tthink if he falls short of majority, we will still back him. But yes, we could have shared power with him,” said a Congress leader, asking not to be named.

Vijay's TVK won 107 seats with a vote share of 35%. Congress’s leaders said they would like to support TVK but were unclear if Vijay would lean towards them. “We are the single largest party so the governor will invite us to form government. When asked to show our numbers on the House floor, we will decide whose support to accept,” said a spokesperson.