NEW DELHI, Mar 4: After days of uncertainty and hard bargain, the DMK and the Congress have finally signed the seat-sharing pact for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections with the ruling party conceding 28 Assembly seats and one Rajya Sabha berth to its alliance partner.
The agreement was signed by DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin and TNCC president Selvaperunthagai. This is three higher than what the party was allotted in 2021 in the alliance. The Congress has also been allotted a Rajya Sabha berth.
The alliance, which at one point, appeared to collapse over demands for power sharing and higher seats, was saved after Congress veteran P Chidambaram stepped in on behalf of the Congress and held discussions with Mr Stalin on Tuesday.
Mr Stalin reached Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters, before the arrival of the Congress leaders on Wednesday night. Girish Chodankar, AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu and head of the Congress seat-sharing committee TNCC president Selvaperunthagai, Congress Legislature Party leader Rajesh Kumar and others met the Chief Minister before the signing of agreement.
Later talking to reporters, Mr Selvaperunthagai said the TNCC and the Congress high-command would announce the candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat. “We are happy and have a sense of fulfillment,” he said. Mr Chodankar said formal talks on seat-sharing for Puducherry would begin on Thursday.
The agreement confirmed the continuation of 22 years of alliance between the two parties which began in 2004, though there was a brief separation ahead of the 2014 parliamentary polls. The Congress started with discordant notes, demanding a share in power, then an increase in numbers. As it hit a roadblock, Mr Chidambaram was asked to negotiate on behalf of the Congress. After holding talks with Mr Stalin they were able to reach an agreement, with the DMK increasing its offer from 25 to 27 and eventually to 28.
(Rohit Kumar)
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