TVK joins Tamil Nadu INDIA bloc, Tagore says

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president B. Manickam Tagore announced on October 3 that the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) had joined the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu, after TVK ministers attended an alliance meeting in Chennai. The announcement places the state’s ruling party alongside Congress and other bloc constituents in planning protests later this month, though TVK president and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay had not publicly confirmed the move in the reports reviewed. The meeting, chaired by Tagore at the Congress committee headquarters, included representatives of Congress, TVK, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the Communist parties, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Indian Union Muslim League. Aadhav Arjuna and N. Marie Wilson attended for TVK. Tagore said the alliance welcomed the party, and described its entry as a state-level development. The parties said they planned demonstrations at district headquarters across Tamil Nadu on October 13 and 14, followed by a protest in Chennai on October 15. Their stated focus is Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and their demand for his resignation.