Tamil Nadu Assembly polls: CPI to contest in five constituencies; finalises seat-sharing deal with DMK
Chennai, March 18
The Communist Party of India on Wednesday finalised its seat-sharing agreement with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections scheduled to be held on April 23.
CPI will contest in five assembly constituencies as part of the DMK-led alliance.
The development comes amid ongoing discussions among alliance partners to streamline seat allocations ahead of the assembly polls.
The agreement was signed before Chief Minister MK Stalin and Tamil Nadu CPI secretary M Veerapandian.
Meanwhile, Congress has also reached a seat-sharing arrangement. It will contest 28 assembly constituencies. The DMK had allocated a Rajya Sabha berth to the Congress.
Another alliance partner, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), will contest on four seats in the 234-member state assembly.
Earlier, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday announced that Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into effect immediately, with the initiation of the election process for the 234-member state assembly, whose current tenure ends on May 10.
The main electoral contest is expected between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which includes DMK, Congress, and other parties, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) with BJP and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) as allies. Actor-turned-politician Vijay is set to make his political debut in this election with his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) won with 133 seats. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) followed with 66 seats. Congress stood at 18 seats. The state saw a voter turnout of 76.6 per cent.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Only 5 seats for CPI? They have a strong legacy in the state. Feels like they are being sidelined in the alliance. Meanwhile, Congress gets 28 and a Rajya Sabha seat? The math doesn't add up for the smaller partners.
The real wildcard is Vijay's TVK. He has massive popularity, especially among the youth. Could split votes and make things very interesting. April 23rd will be a festival of democracy in TN!
Watching from abroad. Tamil Nadu's politics is always so vibrant and distinct from the national narrative. The DMK-CPI partnership seems focused on social welfare. Hope the MCC ensures a fair and peaceful election.
As a citizen, my main concern is development and jobs. Which alliance has a clearer plan for industrial growth in Coimbatore or IT in Chennai? Seat-sharing news is just political drama until we see concrete manifestos.
Respectfully, the current government's performance on women's safety and public transport needs improvement. I hope all parties address these issues directly in their campaigns. The alliance arithmetic matters less than actual governance.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.