You won’t see the VCK president in the field for the by-election. He has made it clear he is not taking up any ministerial path and will be sitting this one out. In a way, it is about holding the line on the power equation in the state and showing that it is the alliance, not the office, that matters to him now.
What triggered the decision
It all goes back to the Chief Minister, C Joseph Vijay. After he was declared the winner in two constituencies on April 23, he left the Tiruchirappalli East side of things and held on to Perambur in Chennai, which is what put the seat up for grabs.
Then on Tuesday, in a video, Thirumavalavan let on that he had been asked to put up from Tiruchirappalli East with a Cabinet position as the prize. He said no, and while he was appreciative of the CM’s overture, he was firm that no amount of pressure or coaxing would change his mind.
Alliance arithmetic and stakes
Put simply, the VCK, with the Left and the IUML, were behind the TVK in putting together a government after the poll. The Congress has its own arrangement with the ruling side. Some of the VCK and IUML members are already in the new setup.
Thirumavalavan was at pains to say his backing came after a word with M. K. Stalin to make sure there was no question of President’s Rule in the state. So when he spurned the bypoll and the promise of a ministry, it was to make a point: the stability of the alliance is more important than moving up the ladder.
From critic to coalition partner
The VCK head will be the first to admit he was hard on Vijay in the heat of the campaign, calling him out for trying to split the minority vote and put a crimp in the Secular Progress Alliance. But looking at the situation now, he says his stance is dictated by the bigger picture and the need for unity.
He pointed to a phone call in April as a case in point, when he gave up Kattumannarkoil so as not to put any stress on the DMK-led combine. This is just a continuation of that – a way to keep things smooth in the ruling camp even with a bypoll on the horizon.
What he told cadres and voters
In his message, Thirumavalavan made it plain you don’t have to be an MLA to do some good for the public or in governance. He told his people and the voters to put aside the stories about him possibly running and consider the matter closed.
There has been some talk of personal ambition, but he put a stop to that in no uncertain terms. “I am 100 per cent against” contesting a by-election, he said, and added that he wouldn’t be moved by anyone.
To be clear, here is where he stands:
– No by-elections for him
– A Cabinet-linked offer has been put aside
– His support is to stave off President’s Rule
– You can serve without an MLA tag
What comes next for Tiruchirappalli East
Now that he is off the table, the question is how the alliance is going to put someone in the spot Vijay left, as per the rules. It will be a test of whether they can handle the internal demands without any hard feelings.
For the moment, his ‘no’ has quieted the noise over who’s next and put to rest any talk of a trade-off. It lends some weight to the government’s story after a complicated post-poll period. He has made his views known to the TVK and has his thanks in for the CM’s call.
Thirumavalavan has made it his business to be true to the alliance, to social justice and to his principles. By staying out, he is making sure the conversation is about the work of governing, not the drama of a by-election.
