Tamil Nadu polls: Congress seeks more seats, power-sharing pact from DMK

Congress

Congress leadership has sought more seats and a commitment on power-sharing from its ally DMK for next year's Tamil Nadu assembly elections, The Economic Times reported quoting top party sources.

According to several media reports, a high-level AICC delegation met Chief Minister MK Stalin on 3 December at the DMK headquarters, formally kickstarting negotiations for the upcoming polls. However, the DMK has not yet constituted its seat-sharing negotiation committee, signalling a cautious approach to what promises to be a complex bargaining process. Congress, which contested just 25 seats in 2021 and won 18, is now seeking anywhere between 35 and 50 constituencies.

DMK leadership has privately sought clarity from the AICC on Congress's commitment to the alliance amid the TVK speculation. A DMK functionary said the party has no objection to allies growing in the state, but expressed concern about attempts to weaken DMK at the governance level.

Stalin has emphasised the ideological foundations of the alliance, describing Rahul Gandhi as "a brother who calls Stalin his elder sibling" and stressing that their relationship "transcends politics."

TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai moved to quash speculation about TVK talks on 6 December. "I have not received any communication from the national leadership regarding such a meeting with TVK. As far as the TNCC is concerned, we are only holding talks with our alliance partner, the DMK," he clarified.

The Left parties have also joined the chorus for more seats, with the CPI(M) seeking an increase from its 2021 allocation. The DMK faces the delicate task of balancing demands from multiple allies while potentially accommodating new entrants like the PMK and DMDK