Cong Firm About Rahul As PM In 2029 Yet Reaches Out To TN CM Vijay

Can Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay really become Prime Minister in 2029? Given TVK’s presence only in TN, it doesn’t seem possible today, even as his government has completed 100 days in office. A recent India Today-C-Voter Mood of the Nation Survey, however, placed Vijay third in the national preference race for Prime Minister at 9%, trailing Narendra Modi (49%) and Rahul Gandhi (27%). This apparently added an element of tension between Vijay’s TVK and the Congress in TN. Several TVK ministers and leaders including PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna and D Sarathkumar, publicly pitched Vijay as a future PM, arguing for a leader from southern India. Some TVK cadres and members put up promotional posters in towns like Tuticorin projecting Vijay as the next national leader. The development has caused a difficult situation for the Congress, which supported the formation of the TVK government after the Assembly election early this year. TVK had won 108 seats, 10 short of the majority mark. The Congress was the first party to join hands with them back then. Rahul Gandhi remains the Congress’ principal national face and a possible Prime Ministerial candidate. Vijay is now being presented by his own party as a possible alternative. Amid mounting friction between the two coalition partners over the issue, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Praveen Chakravarty met Vijay on August 31, a day after a Congress minister warned that the party’s two ministers in the state cabinet would quit if TVK did not back Rahul Gandhi for the top post. The Congress needs TVK in Tamil Nadu, where its own independent strength is limited. It may also need an electoral understanding with Vijay in the 2029 Lok Sabha election. However, TVK’s PM campaign may aim to strengthen its negotiating position with larger national parties.