Congress to get 10 LS seats in TN, Puducherry

The Congress is likely to get nine Lok Seats under an agreement with the DMK in Tamil Nadu in the coming Lok Sabha elections besides the lone seat in Puducherry.

Party sources said the issue of the number of seats was discussed at a meeting Congress President Rahul Gandhi had with leaders from the state inlucding PCC President K.S. Alagiri, senior leader P. Chidambaram and former PCC Presidents K.V. Thangkabalu and S. Thirunavukkarasar.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel and Mukul Wasnik, who would be going to Chennai for finalising the deal with DMK President M K Stalin, are understood to have met DMK MP Kanimozhi in Delhi in this regard.

Informed sources said the Congress may get 10 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

In all, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry account for 40 Lok Sabha seats. Those likely to form a part of the DMK-led alliance are Congress, MDMK, CPI, CPI-M and VCK.

Meanwhile, Thirunavukkarasar said after the meeting that the deal with DMK may fructify in a day or two and the discussions were "very satisfactory and progressing well".

"There are no problems at all in the alliance and the talks are the conclusive stage," he added.

He said Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi would come to Tamil Nadu for electioneering.

"Tamil Nadu is the state where anti-Modi feelings are at the highest and BJP has no roots in the state," Thirunavukkarasar said.

--IANS

and/vsc/mr