DMK holds seat-sharing talks with ally Cong for TN Assembly polls

The opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu on Thursday held talks with its ally the Congress on sharing of seats in the Assembly elections for which the schedule is yet to be announced.

Veteran Congress leader and former chief minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and AICC Tamil Nadu in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao were part of the delegation which arrived here to negotiate the seat-sharing with the DMK.

The DMK was represented by its leaders who included general secretary Duraimurugan,Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi and T R Baalu.

"The discussion was good. Both sides exchanged their views and it was decided that we meet again after holding separate talks within the respective parties," Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K S Alagiri, who also participated in the parleys, told reporters later.

To a query, Alagiri replied,"we haven't discussed the numbers (of assembly constituencies to be contested). We conveyed our views and they too expressed their views."

Following the demise of R Doraikannu, who held the agriculture portfolio, on October 31,2020, the ruling AIADMKs strength was reduced to 124, including the Speaker, from 125 in the 234-member House.

The DMK's number too dropped to 97 from 100 owing to the deaths of K P P Samy, S Kathavarayan and J Anbazhagan last year.

The Congress accounts for 7 legislators in the House which also has an independent and a lone IUML member.