One week deadlock in Tamil Nadu resolves with DMK handing over 25 seats to Congress ahead of Assembly elections

Seat sharing negotiations led week-long deadlock in Tamil Nadu has come to end with DMK handing over 25 Assembly seats and Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency to Congress on Sunday ahead of the Assembly elections. 

A formal pact was signed at DMK’s headquarters in Chennai between DMK Chief M. K. Stalin and K. S. Alagiri, Chief of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. 

In the 2016 Assembly elections, Congress had managed to win just 8 out of 41 seats allotted to it. On the other hand, DMK had won 89 out of 178 seats. 

A small part of the DMK that is close to Stalin had considered either keeping Congress completely out or giving it a rather small share of seats citing Congress’s poor performance in past elections. The deal was finalized after Congress president Sonia Gandhi had a telephonic conversation with Stalin on Saturday night.  

Initially, Congress had sought to get 34 seats, while DMK was considering to allot it with only 18. Later Congress brought its demand down to 30 seats. The agreement was finally made on a middle ground with 25 seats being allotted to Congress along with the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat. This was necessary due to bypoll after sitting Congress MP H. Vasanthakumar had died last year due to Covid-19. 

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With having to settle with just 25 seats in Tamil Nadu, Congress in West Bengal managed to get 92 Assembly seats. It is said that party had to concede and settle with much less seats than it had demanded for, citing at a scenario where regional parties have started to view the national party as more of a baggage. 

Tamil Nadu with 234 Assembly seats goes for elections in phase one on April 6. The results would be declared on May 2.