Discussion was cordial, waiting for results: KC Venugopal on DMK-Congress alliance
Kochi, February 23
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Monday said that information regarding the DMK-Congress alliance would be shared soon, and that talks with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin were "cordial" but the results are awaited.
Speaking to the media, Venugopal said, "We will let you know, finally...The discussion was cordial, but we are waiting for the results."
Venugopal on Sunday met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin at his residence in Chennai ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections.
Tamil Nadu Congress screening committee chairman TS Singh Deo was also present in the meeting.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Congress President Selvaperunthagai K on Saturday said that the party is ready to discuss a seat-sharing formula with the DMK for the upcoming 2026 Legislative Assembly elections.
Selvaperunthagai told ANI, "We are ready to talk to DMK for seat sharing and negotiation. The INDIA bloc is already a powerful alliance and is going to be more powerful. On February 22, they are calling smaller parties. Then they will call the major parties."Meanwhile, today, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) president KM Kader Mohideen met DMK representatives for seat-sharing talks and demanded five seats for the party.
The DMK has constituted a committee to hold discussions with alliance parties regarding seat-sharing arrangements.
The committee is chaired by party Treasurer TR Baalu. Other members of the panel include Principal Secretary KN Nehru, Deputy General Secretaries Tiruchi Siva and A Raja, Organising Secretary RS Bharathi, and High-Level Executive Committee members EV Velu and MRK Panneerselvam.
The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to the polls in the first half of 2026, where the MK Stalin-led alliance will look to project the 'Dravidian Model 2.0' for the win against the BJP-AIADMK alliance. Actor-turned-politician Vijay's entry with his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is expected to turn the Tamil Nadu polls into a three-way contest.
In the 2021 polls, the DMK won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. Congress won 18, PMK won five, VCK won four, and others won eight seats. The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), led by DMK, which consisted of Congress, won 159 seats collectively.
While the NDA won 75 seats, the AIADMK emerged as the largest party in the alliance with 66 seats.
— ANI
Reader Comments
"Cordial discussion but waiting for results" sounds like political speak for "we haven't agreed on anything yet." Congress needs to be careful not to get a raw deal like in some other states. They have 18 sitting MLAs, that's a decent bargaining chip.
With Vijay's TVK entering the fray, the 2026 election is going to be very interesting. A three-cornered contest could split votes in unpredictable ways. The DMK-Congress alliance needs to be solid and announce candidates early to avoid confusion.
The Dravidian Model has done good work in TN. Hope the alliance focuses on continuing that development agenda rather than just seat-sharing politics. The common man wants roads, water, and jobs.
Respectfully, I wish our politicians spent as much energy on governance as they do on these endless alliance talks. The election is in 2026, we have time. Please focus on the current issues facing the state.
Following Indian politics from abroad. The INDIA bloc's performance in southern states like Tamil Nadu will be key for the opposition's national narrative in 2024 and beyond. Strong regional alliances are their strength.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.