3 min readDelhiUpdated: May 8, 2026 03:48 PM IST
In what will perhaps shape the future of the INDIA bloc at the national level, the DMK has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, seeking changes for the seating of the party’s members in the House. The letter cites “changed political circumstances” – DMK’s alliance with the Congress has ended.
This comes two days after the Congress ditched the DMK and decided to join hands with actor-politician Vijay’s TVK in Tamil Nadu in an attempt to form a government in the southern state.
In a letter to Birla, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi wrote, “I write to respectfully request suitable changes in the seating arrangement of the Members of Parliament belonging to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the Lok Sabha. In view of the changed political circumstances and as our alliance with the Indian National Congress has come to an end, it may not be appropriate for our Members to continue occupying the present seating arrangement alongside them in the House.”
The DMK leader requested Birla to make the necessary arrangements for DMK members “to be allotted separate seating, enabling them to effectively discharge their responsibilities” in the House.
INDIA bloc now faces a big crisis after the DMK and the Congress parted ways
Big signal on INDIA bloc future
The DMK’s letter seems to be a big signal about the future of the opposition’s INDIA bloc, which was formed to take on the BJP. The DMK was the fourth-largest constituent of the INDIA bloc, led by Congress, in terms of numbers in the Lok Sabha. The party has 22 members in the Lok Sabha and eight members in the Rajya Sabha.
The Congress’s decision to end its decades-long alliance with the DMK and partner with Vijay’s Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form a new government in Tamil Nadu has caused divisions within the INDIA bloc, with its constituents split over whether the move is “strategic pragmatism” or “political backstabbing”.
While some leaders of the Opposition grouping have so far defended the Congress’s decision as necessary to keep the BJP and NDA out of power in the state, others have echoed the DMK’s charge of “backstabbing”. The development has also raised questions about the cohesion of the INDIA alliance and its functioning in Parliament.
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Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday took a dig at the Congress, saying he is not someone who abandons his allies in difficult times. With Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls due next year, Akhilesh’s statement is significant. The Congress and Samajwadi Party are slated to contest the elections together and Akhilesh Yadav’s post reflects changing equations within the alliance.
