Chennai: Final week, a gathering between Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor-turned politician Vijay and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s shut aide and Congress strategist Praveen Chakravarty induced a flutter in Tamil Nadu politics. Praveen Chakravarty advised ThePrint, whereas he did meet Vijay, it didn’t essentially contain a political agenda.

“Not all conferences essentially have a proposal behind them,” he advised ThePrint over a name.

The chairman of the All India Professionals’ Congress and head of the Congress knowledge analytics unit met Vijay at his Pattinapakkam workplace on 5 December. The assembly shortly set off a buzz that Congress could possibly be exploring a doable understanding with Vijay’s TVK or that Praveen himself could be making ready to shift camp.

However Praveen dismissed the hypothesis and stated that he’s not becoming a member of TVK. “I’ve zero plans to hitch TVK,” he advised ThePrint.

Praveen Chakravarty entered the occasion throughout the Rahul Gandhi–led restructuring part that sought to convey technocrats, coverage specialists and knowledge professionals into mainstream political technique. As head of the Congress knowledge analytics division, he performed a central function in shaping the occasion’s voter-level knowledge programs and marketing campaign insights. Along with his proximity to the occasion’s excessive command, his title usually surfaced as a possible nomination to the Rajya Sabha. Nevertheless, the proposal by no means formally materialised.

In Tamil Nadu, sources in TNCC say that Chakravarty was additionally seen as a robust aspirant for the Myladuthurai Lok Sabha seat in 2024. Nevertheless, that too didn’t progress past early-stage deliberations, at the same time as his affect inside the occasion’s organisational and strategic construction continued to develop.

The hypothesis over the Congress exploring a doable alliance with TVK is just not new. Ever since Congress chief Rahul Gandhi dialed Vijay after the Karur stampede, there was a buzz over a doable alliance realignment within the state forward of the 2026 meeting elections.

Praveen Chakravarty additionally advised ThePrint that the media had been reporting on a doable Congress-TVK alliance for months. “In fact it’s the job of the media. We aren’t commenting on it,” he stated.

Requested if the Congress management had requested him his causes for assembly Vijay, he stated: “A mere assembly itself doesn’t quantity to any offence.”

When requested in regards to the assembly, TNCC Chief Selvaperunthagai claimed that they have been unaware of the assembly. “There are solely speculations and we actually don’t know if such a gathering occurred. It’s been months since I spoke to him. Provided that the assembly is confirmed, possibly we will ask for a clarification from the management,” Selvaperunthagai advised ThePrint.

Praveen additionally denied that his assembly with Vijay had created any discomfort inside the DMK-led alliance within the state.

“Did anybody from the Congress make any assertion? Did anyone from the alliance events say something in regards to the alliance?” he requested. “No. So there is no such thing as a confusion or rigidity inside the alliance.”

DMK spokesperson T.Ok.S. Elangovan was assured that the INDIA alliance was intact and that the opposition events have been making an attempt to create friction with hypothesis over the assembly. “A committee to start the alliance negotiations will quickly be shaped by our chief, till then, folks will proceed to invest. However, this profitable alliance is undamaged,” Elangovan advised ThePrint.

Though there have been variations of opinion amongst INDIA bloc leaders, political analysts within the state say it could be the technique of the Congress to barter a greater share of seats for the 2026 meeting elections.

“It isn’t simply the Congress, even VCK and Left events have variations of opinion with the DMK authorities’s insurance policies. However, all of them wish to be a part of this alliance because the profitable likelihood is excessive on this alliance. Nonetheless, they could use the technique of speaking to a number of folks to leverage for extra seats in upcoming meeting elections,” Ok. Chandrasekar, assistant professor and political analyst advised ThePrint.

The chatter over the current hypothesis gained traction because the assembly got here simply days after the All India Congress Committee constituted a five-member committee led by Girish Chodankar to carry alliance negotiations with DMK. On 3 December, the committee met DMK president and Chief Minister M. Ok. Stalin in Chennai to start formal discussions for the 2026 meeting elections within the state.

A senior chief in DMK confirmed to ThePrint that the DMK management would type a committee comprising senior leaders and ministers together with Ministers Thangam Thennarasu and Ok. N. Nehru after 15 December.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee has shortlisted as many as 125 constituencies the place Congress has the potential to win the seat and the manpower to work for the election. TNCC insiders advised ThePrint that they’re on the lookout for extra seats to contest within the upcoming elections than they did within the 2021 meeting election.

In 2021, Congress contested 25 seats and received 18; this time, based on sources, they’re wanting for no less than 39 seats to contest within the 2026 meeting elections.

(Edited by Viny Mishra)

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