Congress being wiped out due to own mistakes, says DMK's Elangovan

DMK's TKS Elangovan claims Congress is being wiped out due to internal failures. He stated Vijay's TVK lacks the numbers to form a government, as they are short of the majority mark even with Congress's support.

Elangovan on Congress's Decline

Following the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader TKS Elangovan on Thursday claimed that the Congress party was "being wiped out" across states due to its own internal failures, alleging that its leaders were prioritising personal interests over the party's future, leading to repeated electoral setbacks. Speaking to ANI, Elangovan said, "Congress is losing in every state because of its own mistakes. Some people are running the Congress party, thinking about their own interests, without thinking about the party's interests. That's why Congress is being wiped out. Kerala's victory is different. This alone won't help Congress."

Struggle for Majority in Tamil Nadu

The DMK spokesperson also took a swipe at Vijay's political ambitions, claiming the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief lacked the support needed to stake a claim to form a government. "He doesn't have the numbers, that is the problem. To form a government, they need 118 MLAs. After Congress supported them, they are 112. They need another 6-7 MLAs, which they are working on. How can the Governor ask them to form a government without a majority? That's why the Governor said, show the majority, then come back. They have to give it in writing," Elangovan said.

Commenting on the political situation in the state, Elangovan claimed there was a split within All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and suggested that a section of the party could back Vijay. "There is a split within the AIADMK also. I think a group of AIADMK people want to go with Vijay. Let's see," he said.

DMK's Allies Remain Firm

However, on alliance partners, he maintained that Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Left parties continued to remain with the DMK. "They are with us. They came to meet the leader today and yesterday as well," he added.

Doubts Over Election Process

Voicing concerns about the election process, Elangovan said, "I have some doubts about the election. From the beginning, right from SIR, a lot of things have been happening. I just want to check the VVPAT slips in some constituencies," he said.

Citing an example, he further said, "People were crying. They were shocked that he lost because he had done a lot of good work for Kolathur. He periodically visited the constituency and met the people. We have to see what went wrong."

TVK's Seat Count and Alliance Math

TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member assembly and is ten short of the majority mark. With Vijay also to step down from one of the two seats he won in the assembly polls, the effective strength of TVK in the assembly will become 107.

TVK, which emerged as the single-largest party in Tamil Nadu in a spectacular assembly polls debut, has secured the support of five Congress MLAs. Congress had fought the election as part of the DMK-led alliance but has decided to extend support to TVK.

TVK chief Vijay is unlikely to take oath today as Chief Minister as the actor-turned politician firms up support to cross the majority mark in the Tamil Nadu assembly, sources said on Wednesday.

Kerala Election Results

Meanwhile, in Keralam, the United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a commanding 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly with the declaration of the results of the April 9 elections on Monday, marking a decisive mandate and a significant political shift in the state after a decade. The Congress emerged as the single largest party within the alliance with 63 seats, while its key ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), won 22 seats. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)