"Only focusing on the 2026 assembly election": Tamil Nadu Congress president on seat-sharing with DMK
Chennai, February 1
Congress leaders arrived in Tamil Nadu on Sunday for seat-sharing talks with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ahead of the upcoming Assembly Elections.
Speaking on the matter, Tamil Nadu Congress president K. Selvaperunthagai said that the Tamil Nadu All India Congress Committee in charge, Girish Chodankar, will arrive tomorrow.
"We have started the election process. Tomorrow, our incharge Girish Chodankar is coming. We are only focusing on the 2026 assembly election...," Selvaperunthagai told ANI.
Earlier on Friday, DMK MP Kanimozhi said talks between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Indian National Congress were progressing smoothly.
Speaking to reporters here, she said, "The party leader will make an announcement after all discussions are concluded."
This comes after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and DMK MP Kanimozhi met in the national capital to discuss the alliance roadmap ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The meeting held on Wednesday, initiated by the DMK as part of outreach to its ally, the Congress, did not reach a conclusion.
The two leaders met for almost an hour, but no numbers were discussed. Rahul Gandhi urged Kanimozhi to discuss the matters with the team of leaders set up by the Congress president to formalise things. The meeting remained pleasant, according to a source in the Congress party.
The two-decade-old alliance partners in the State are uncomfortable this time in the Assembly polls, as the Congress party's state leadership is demanding a share of power in the government, which the DMK has not offered.
When many of the leaders advocated for the Jharkhand formula to be implemented in Tamil Nadu as well, the AICC leadership called a meeting of all the important leaders of the state to know their views. It was left to the leadership to make the final call after every leader had been heard.
The developments come as Tamil Nadu is scheduled to hold elections in the first half of this year, although the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not yet announced the official election schedule. Meanwhile, in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the DMK won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. Congress won 18, PMK won 5, VCK won 4, and others won 8.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Congress should not be too demanding. With only 18 seats last time, they are the junior partner. The focus should be on defeating the common opponent, not on power-sharing formulas from other states. Let's be practical.
"Only focusing on the 2026 election"? The election is this year! This kind of statement from the TN Congress chief is confusing. It feels like the state leadership is not fully aligned with the central team's negotiations. Time is running out.
Kanimozhi and Rahul Gandhi meeting is a positive sign. The alliance has a strong social justice legacy in TN. Hope they remember the people's welfare is the ultimate goal, not just seat numbers. All the best to both parties!
Watching from abroad, it's interesting how these regional alliances work. The DMK seems to hold all the cards here. The Congress's national decline is really showing in these state-level negotiations.
As a Tamilian, I just want a stable government that works on development, water issues, and jobs. Whether it's DMK, Congress, or anyone else, please stop the drama and tell us your concrete plans for the state. 🙏
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.