DMK-Congress seat sharing deal signed

Congress to contest in 41 seats in TN assembly election; it had earlier demanded 63 seats

Talks between the Congress and DMK for the upcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu concluded here, with the two parties agreeing that the Congress will contest in 41 constituencies.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today met DMK President M Karunanidhi and other party seniors, including M K Stalin at Chennai. After the meeting he told media persons that DMK has allocated 41 seats in Congress.

He expressed confidence that under leadership of Karunanidhi, DMK will form the Government in the state. Azad noted that in Tamil Nadu it had always been the trend that if one term AIADMK rules, next term it will be DMK's turn, "so this time we are confident that under Karunanidhi's leadership, a new government will be formed".

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In the first round, the Congress had demanded 63 seats, the number of seats that was allotted to it in 2011. However the DMK categorically refused to allot 63 seats. The Congress was offered around 30 seats.

Stalin said that today evening DMK and Congress leaders will start discussions over which constituencies the Congress will contest and who will represent the Party. Till now, the DMK has allocated 54 constituencies to its allies, including Congress. The Dravidian party continues to hold discussion with other regional parties. Totally Tamil Nadu has 234 assembly constituencies.

Earlier, the DMK had concluded seat-sharing arrangement with three parties-Indian Union of Muslim League (IUML), MMK and SSP. The party had allotted five seats each to two Muslim parties-IUML and MMK- and one seat to SSP.

It may be noted, after joining hands for 2004 Lok Sabha polls, DMK had walked out of the Congress-led UPA in 2013.

However, the two revived the alliance on February 13, with Azad, in charge of Congress affairs in Tamil Nadu, holding the first round of seat-sharing talks with Karunanidhi on March 25. He met DMK leadership twice in the last few months.

Congress had contested 63 seats in the 2011 elections in alliance with the DMK.