Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the political party led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister (CM) C Joseph Vijay, is expected to participate in the protests being helmed by the INDIA bloc against the Election Commission (EC) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls at the national level, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol Thirumavalavan confirmed on Friday.
He made the remarks almost a day after TVK joined the Opposition’s ongoing agitation in Chennai on Thursday, targeting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the voter list revision exercise.
In an interaction with news agency ANI, Thirumavalavan said the TVK has recently joined forces with the INDIA bloc’s Tamil Nadu unit and was likely to participate in similar stirs organised on a national level.
Tamil Nadu CM Vijay
He said, “TVK has already joined the INDIA bloc. They are against the Election Commission and the Union government. They attended the INDIA bloc protest yesterday,” adding that the party would subsequently participate in protests at the national level.
Why is the Opposition holding demonstrations?
The Opposition has been staging back-to-back agitations against the Election Commission’s SIR exercise, whose objective is to review and update electoral rolls. They have expressed apprehensions that the process could culminate in eligible voters being removed from the lists and have demanded safeguards to shield the voting rights of the citizens.
The protestors further raised demands for the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, questioning the poll panel’s handling of electoral matters.
TVK’s proximity with INDIA bloc grows
TVK’s participation in the protest marks a significant step in its rising engagement with Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu. Notably, on October 3, representatives of Vijay’s TVK attended a meeting of the state-level INDIA bloc, which included the Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), VCK, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
A still from the Chennai protests
The meeting discussed coordinated opposition to the BJP-led Central government and the SIR exercise. The participating parties also passed resolutions, including the welcoming of the TVK into the state-level Opposition grouping.
Political speculation about closer cooperation gained further steam after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called upon Tamil Nadu CM Vijay at his residence in Chennai on October 10. Launched by Vijay in 2024, TVK stormed into Tamil Nadu’s political arena, promising to challenge established political forces. Its participation in the INDIA bloc’s stir indicates increasing engagement with Opposition parties, although the nature and extent of its role in the alliance’s national activities remain to be seen.