India's Congress party has withdrawn from its long-standing alliance with the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) in Tamil Nadu (India's southernmost state), with party MP Manickam Tagore claiming the move came after Congress detected the DMK's intent to secretly join forces with its arch-rival, the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), purely to consolidate power. Tamil Nadu's 2026 assembly elections produced a fractured mandate for the first time since 1952, with film star-turned-politician Vijay's TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) emerging as the single largest party with 108 seats — just short of the 118 required for a majority. The political realignment carries significant consequences: Congress has since extended support to TVK, while left parties and the Governor's insistence that Vijay demonstrate a clear majority before being invited to form a government have plunged the state into a deepening constitutional standoff.