TVK formally walks into the INDIA bloc as 'Save Democracy' protest calendar is fixed

The INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu has a new constituent — and a full calendar of protest. At a coordination meeting held at the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee headquarters, Sathyamurthy Bhavan, in Chennai on Saturday, the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam formally joined the opposition alliance. The meeting was chaired by TNCC president B. Manickam Tagore, who called the development a "historic day" for opposition consolidation. Seven parties took part: the Congress, TVK, CPM, CPI, VCK, MDMK and IUML. The TVK was represented by its general secretary for election management, Aadhav Arjuna, and Finance Minister Marie Wilson. Tagore said the TVK's entry would significantly strengthen the anti-BJP front in the state, and described the fight against the RSS-BJP and the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah as "an interesting fight" in Tamil Nadu. The meeting fixed a protest calendar around a single demand: the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls, which the alliance alleges wrongly deleted more than 13 crore voters. District-level 'Save Democracy' demonstrations will be held at district headquarters across Tamil Nadu on October 13 and 14, followed by a joint protest in Chennai on October 15 with top leaders of all seven constituent parties. Alliance MPs will also march to the Election Commission of India's headquarters in New Delhi on October 6. MDMK general secretary Vaiko announced state-wide rallies against the CEC on October 13, 14 and 15. Notable by its absence was the DMK. Asked about it, Tagore rejected any suggestion of a rift, insisting the alliance was an open platform for all forces opposing the ruling dispensation at the Centre and that the DMK leadership remained actively engaged with the national platform. The absence is hard to miss all the same: the DMK earlier walked out of the alliance after the Congress joined the TVK-led government in the state. The TVK's journey from self-styled third force to constituent of the INDIA bloc is now complete on paper. Whether it completes on the ground — in seat-sharing, in campaign unity, in who leads — is the harder part. The protest calendar will be its first test.