The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) led by veteran politician Vaiko has officially ended its nine-year affiliation to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which is a significant change in Tamil Nadu's political environment.
The decision was made at the 32nd General Council of the party in Vijaysree Mahal in Chennai under the chairmanship of MDMK General Secretary Vaiko. An official resolution was passed on Saturday for the party's departure from the alliance, ending a partnership that had been in place since the year 2017.
The move comes just weeks after the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections when the DMK-led alliance suffered a major setback, while actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single-largest party in the state.
MDMK Alleges Its Political Identity Was Undermined
In the party resolution, the MDMK said it remained in the DMK-led alliance as a political party because it was committed to preventing communal political forces from becoming powerful in Tamil Nadu.
However, the party said that in the recent Assembly elections, attempts were made within the alliance to weaken the MDMK's independent political identity despite its 32-year political journey.
The resolution stated that although the party faced these challenges, it chose to remain with the alliance and contest the elections for ideological reasons.
Accuses Alliance of Compromising on Principles
The MDMK also criticised the post-election developments in the Secular Progressive Alliance, saying that its stated ideological principles had been compromised.
According to the resolution, all efforts were made to form an AIADMK government even though the party won only 47 Assembly seats.
It is an open secret that arrangements were made to install the AIADMK, which had won only 47 Assembly seats, in power by forging an alliance with Hindutva communal forces. As a result, the claims that the Secular Progressive Alliance was an alliance founded on ideology and principles were rendered meaningless," the resolution stated.
The MDMK's departure will change opposition politics in Tamil Nadu, and political observers will probably be watching the party’s next move. If Vaiko’s party does not go independent of the government and is instead part of another party ahead of the next elections, the situation in Tamil Nadu will become a lot more complex.
