The DMK-Congress alliance is confident of sweeping all nine Assembly constituencies in Tiruchirappalli despite actor-politician Vijay’s presence, says Congress Rajya Sabha MP Christopher Tilak. As Tamil Nadu gears up for the 2026 Assembly elections, The Federal spoke to Tilak to understand the ground situation in Trichy, the impact of Vijay’s entry, and the alliance dynamics.
What are the winning prospects for the DMK alliance in Trichy?
As you rightly said, in the last Assembly election, the DMK-Congress alliance won all nine seats. Hopefully, this time too, we will win all the seats with a good margin. Despite Vijay’s presence, I don’t think we will face any major problems here.
Do you rule out the Vijay factor in Tiruchirappalli East? Why?
I am not saying that he will make no impact at all. However, his arrival is not going to affect the DMK alliance. That is what I am trying to convey.
Some surveys suggest Vijay’s Christian identity could consolidate minority votes. Your response?
I don’t think so, because minorities are equally aware of whom they need to vote for. They are concerned not just about Vijay’s celebrity status but also about the threat posed by Hindutva forces.
So, obviously, the votes Vijay gets are primarily from young voters, and they come from all communities. There would also be a certain proportion from minority communities. This, however, should not be overemphasised, as I think it is a narrative being pushed by the BJP.
Why did Vijay highlight his Christian identity closer to elections?
I think you are mistaken. His Christian identity was revealed to the public by H Raja a long time ago. Until that point, I was not aware that he was Joseph Vijay.
H Raja and the BJP only introduced Vijay as Joseph Vijay. So, it is not a new identity that has come out—it is an old identity that has always existed.
Will Congress not aligning with TVK affect Rahul Gandhi and Vijay’s relationship?
Elections are largely about issues. We should not narrow it down only to certain leaders and their friendships, so I don’t want to comment on personal aspects.
How are DMK and Congress working on the ground in Trichy?
Trichy district has always been favourable for the DMK-Congress alliance, primarily because of the minority population here.
DMK and Congress along with other alliance partners have kickstarted their campaign effectively. Some senior ministers from the district will take the lead in coordination.
This time, at the micro level, Congress is planning to work closely with DMK functionaries, and ministers are also ensuring that all alliance partners are included with proper coordination.
In the next 15 days, we expect a smooth working culture at the booth level, which I am confident will help the alliance achieve a big margin.
Will earlier friction between DMK and Congress affect ground-level coordination?
I don’t think so. As you have seen, until the last couple of days, all alliance partners had issues with seat-sharing. Congress was the first to raise concerns, and we ultimately secured three more seats than in the last election, which is a decent outcome by our leaders.
With so many alliance partners, it was difficult for DMK to share seats as well. But Chief Minister MK Stalin successfully convinced all partners and distributed tickets fairly.
Currently, we have no ill feelings toward the DMK. In Trichy, Congress has got one seat, though we had requested two. Nevertheless, our party workers are enthusiastic.
We have held workers’ meetings, discussed coordination, and will set up war rooms. We will also engage with the media to promote the alliance and maximise votes.
How is Congress planning to increase its vote share and margins?
There are two or three issues which Congress will try to highlight.
The first is secularism, which is very strongly embedded in Tamil Nadu compared to other states. As an AICC functionary, I have worked across 15 to 20 states, and Tamil Nadu is a heterogeneous society where all communities live together.
Despite this, the BJP is trying to trigger issues based on religion, as seen in Thirupparankundram.
On one hand, they talk about such issues, and on the other, they have raised gas prices and the cost of many essential commodities.
So, we will emphasise secularism and reinforce these ideas among youngsters. The second issue is price rise, especially the increase in gas prices, which affects common households—women most of all.
This will be our narrative, and I am confident that people are aware of these issues.
Is there any bitterness between MK Stalin and Rahul Gandhi?
Not really. Rahulji has been very busy with the Kerala elections, which are scheduled earlier.
Today, the AICC released the candidates’ list for Congress. We will now plan the visits of leaders and star campaigners to Tamil Nadu.
There is no bitterness. There might be a slight communication gap, but the relationship is fine. This is an alliance based on ideology; more than individuals, ideology is what will take us forward with the people of Tamil Nadu.
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