On Monday, the DMK announced its departure from the INDIA bloc, citing what it described as a betrayal by the Congress party, and stated that it no longer felt bound to join any protests the party might organise, adding that it intended to pursue its own political direction going forward.

In a statement, the Dravidian party pointed to TNCC president B Manickam Tagore, along with Congress figures Girish Chodankar and Praveen Chakravarthy, as bearing responsibility for the weaker-than-expected electoral result posted by the DMK-led alliance.

The DMK contended that ongoing public commentary from Congress party members — including Manickam Tagore, Girish Chodankar, and Praveen Chakravarthy — directed at the party while all three remained within the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance had contributed to strains within the coalition and affected how the alliance was perceived externally. The statement added that these developments had drawn public scrutiny over both the cohesion and standing of the alliance.

The DMK put forward allegations against a faction within Congress, contending that those members had actively worked against the alliance's collective interests and undermined colleagues who had genuinely backed the partnership — characterising that group, in the party's own phrasing, as a hidden extension of an opposing political force.

The organisation also put Tagore on notice over his public remarks about its position on the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, indicating that a continuation of such criticism would carry repercussions.

The DMK announced its departure from the INDIA bloc, pointing to what it described as a breach of alliance conduct by the Congress party in its pursuit of cabinet posts. The DMK's departure from the India alliance followed the Congress party's decision to support government formation under Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in May — a move the DMK characterised, in its own statement, as a violation of agreed coalition terms tied to the pursuit of ministerial posts.

By-election outcomes were put forward by the DMK as a marker of broadening voter backing. The party's accusations extended to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and its leader Vijay, with the organisation asserting that both had taken steps to suppress protests by young people against the SIR across Tamil Nadu.

Observers noted that certain Congress figures, Vijay among them, had not publicly addressed their stance on the Chief Election Commissioner's resignation, even as those same voices directed criticism toward the DMK.

Pointing to its role in assembling opposition blocs against the BJP across two successive general elections in Tamil Nadu, the DMK asserted that it had no need for guidance from the Congress on either political resolve or the management of alliances, adding through a statement that its path remained an independent one and urging Congress leaders to direct their attention toward their own coalition arrangements rather than toward parties that had since departed from their fold.