Kanimozhi meets Thackeray, Pawar as DMK eyes regional front beyond BJP and Congress
Synopsis
DMK's Kanimozhi is quietly moving beyond the INDIA bloc playbook — meeting Thackeray, Pawar, and Sule in quick succession after the delimitation Bill's defeat. With southern states anxious about representation and Congress-regional party tensions simmering, the DMK appears to be stress-testing whether a third national formation of regional forces is viable.
Key Takeaways
Kanimozhi met Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree, Mumbai for nearly an hour, receiving a ceremonial golden shawl; Anil Desai and Milind Narvekar were present.
She subsequently held discussions in New Delhi with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule .
Talks focused on the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill on delimitation, the future of the INDIA bloc , and the role of regional parties.
The DMK had notably stayed away from an anti-delimitation meeting in Chennai chaired by CM C.
Joseph Vijay , underscoring intra-Opposition differences.
Kanimozhi is expected to next meet AAP 's Bhagwant Mann and Samajwadi Party 's Akhilesh Yadav as part of the same outreach.
DMK parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi has launched a round of consultations with key regional leaders across Mumbai and New Delhi following the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill on delimitation and the proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats — moves that have intensified anxieties among southern states and smaller Opposition parties alike.
The Mumbai Meetings
Kanimozhi visited Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at his Matoshree residence in Bandra, Mumbai, where Thackeray personally received her and presented her with a ceremonial golden shawl. The meeting, attended also by Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Anil Desai and Milind Narvekar, lasted nearly an hour.
According to reports, the discussions ranged across the delimitation Bill's defeat in Parliament, the Indian National Congress's current posture towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the future direction of the INDIA bloc. The two leaders reportedly also exchanged views on the feasibility of building a broader platform exclusively for regional and state-based parties.
Delhi Round: Pawar and Sule
Following her Mumbai engagements, Kanimozhi travelled to New Delhi, where she held separate discussions with Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Sharad Pawar and his daughter and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule. The conversations are believed to have continued along similar lines — assessing how regional forces can better coordinate in the face of delimitation and broader political realignments.
Why Delimitation Is the Flashpoint
The defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill has done little to settle nerves in southern India. Critics argue that any future delimitation exercise based on updated population figures would dilute the representation of states — particularly in the south — that have outperformed on family planning metrics. The DMK has been among the most vocal opponents of this prospect.
Notably, the DMK stayed away from an anti-delimitation conclave convened in Chennai under Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, even as Congress participated in it. That episode has laid bare strategic differences within the Opposition over how to respond to the delimitation challenge — and has, reportedly, accelerated the DMK's own outreach.
A Third Front in the Making?
These meetings have triggered speculation that the DMK is quietly exploring the contours of a third political formation at the national level — one that sits outside the gravitational pull of both the BJP and the Congress. Thackeray's well-documented friction with the Congress in Maharashtra lends additional weight to the possibility.
Kanimozhi is expected to extend her outreach to Punjab Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann, and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav — both of whom lead state-level parties with complicated relationships with the Congress. How those meetings unfold will offer the clearest signal yet of whether this is a coordinated political pivot or a diplomatic temperature-check.
Point of View
Smaller regional parties risk being marginalised both electorally and on issues — like delimitation — that strike at their core voter bases. Kanimozhi's choice of interlocutors is telling: Thackeray and Pawar are both estranged from Congress in their home state, and Mann and Akhilesh Yadav have their own grievances. The open question is whether a third front can hold together on the basis of a shared negative — opposition to Congress dominance — or whether it needs a positive programmatic identity. History suggests these formations tend to unravel before a general election. But the delimitation issue may provide the ideological anchor that previous third-front experiments lacked.
NationPress
14 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Kanimozhi meeting regional party leaders across India?
Kanimozhi is conducting consultations with key regional leaders — including Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, and Supriya Sule — following the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill on delimitation. The DMK is reportedly assessing whether a coordinated regional platform, independent of both the BJP and the Congress, is politically viable.
What is the Constitution Amendment Bill on delimitation about?
The Bill concerned changes to the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies and a proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats. Critics, particularly from southern states, argue that delimitation based on updated population data would reduce their representation relative to more populous northern states, penalising them for better compliance with family planning policies.
What is the significance of the DMK skipping the Chennai anti-delimitation meeting?
The DMK's absence from the anti-delimitation conclave convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay — which the Congress attended — highlighted strategic differences within the Opposition. It signalled the DMK may prefer to build its own coalition on the issue rather than operate under a Congress-aligned umbrella.
Who are the leaders Kanimozhi is expected to meet next?
According to reports, Kanimozhi is expected to hold discussions with Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav. Both lead state-based parties with complex, often friction-filled relationships with the Congress.
Could these meetings lead to a formal third front at the national level?
The meetings have triggered speculation about a third national political formation beyond the BJP and the Congress. However, no formal announcement has been made; the consultations are being characterised as a preliminary assessment of support for a broader regional coordination platform.
