Congress Questions DMK Over Delay in Seat-Share Talks
Leaders say alliance panel ready, Tamil Nadu ruling party yet to begin negotiations
- Congress MPs question delay in DMK seat-sharing talks
- Party says five-member panel formed weeks ago
- DMK sources say talks will start after poll dates
- Power-sharing demands emerging within alliance
GG News Bureau
Chennai, 9th Feb: Two senior Congress leaders have raised questions over the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu for delaying seat-sharing discussions ahead of the Assembly elections likely in April.
Lok Sabha MPs Manickam Tagore and Karti Chidambaram said the Congress had already formed a five-member committee to negotiate seat distribution, but the DMK was yet to constitute a similar panel.
Tagore said the Congress set up its committee, which includes state unit chief K. Selvaperunthagai, as early as December 1 and has been waiting for over a month. “We have been waiting for almost 36 days,” he said, urging the DMK to begin talks.
Chidambaram, however, struck a more conciliatory tone, saying differences over seat allotments were natural in an alliance and would eventually be resolved. He added that former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had recently reminded senior DMK leader Kanimozhi to form the party’s negotiation committee, but no action had been taken so far.
Sources in the DMK responded by saying Chief Minister M.K. Stalin planned to start the talks only after the election dates are announced. Initiating negotiations now, they argued, could distract from ongoing government schemes and projects.
The Congress and DMK have been alliance partners since the 2016 Assembly elections and have won together in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 state election. However, the Congress has not been part of the state government, a point that has triggered internal demands for power-sharing assurances ahead of the upcoming polls.
Sources indicate the Congress is seeking at least six ministerial berths in the event of an alliance victory, while the DMK is reportedly reluctant, citing concerns over administrative efficiency and internal disputes.
Meanwhile, the DMK is said to be exploring talks with the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), a regional party less likely to insist on a share of power.
The emerging political dynamics have also revived speculation about a possible Congress tie-up with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which is set to make its electoral debut. However, Congress leaders have publicly downplayed such prospects, maintaining that the existing alliance with the DMK remains intact.
