Tamil Nadu Assembly Election: DMK-Congress Alliance Seat Sharing Talks Intensify Amidst Political Maneuvering

With barely four months to go for the assembly election in Tamil Nadu, political parties are getting into alliance formation mode. The DMK-led alliance appears to be intact, but for some occasional noises from Congress.

The opposition camp is in virtual disarray as only AIADMK and BJP seem to be the confirmed constituents of NDA for now.After a subdued demand for power-sharing by some second-rung leaders, Congress is now planning to demand a “larger number” of seats, at least 40. While top leaders on both sides say the deal will be amicable, a ‘disruption’ came from a Congress leader. Praveen Chakravarthy, an AICC functionary, met TVK president Vijay on Dec 5. There has been no attempt on the part of Congress to douse rumours.On Dec 3, a five-member committee led by AICC member Girish Chodankar had met Stalin as a prelude to the seat-sharing talks. This meeting, sources said, was done on

DMK

’s insistence. On Nov 18, Stalin’s son-in-law Sabarisan Vedamurthy met

Rahul Gandhi

in Delhi about sending a committee to remove any misgivings over the DMK-Congress alliance. Two days later came the Vijay-Praveen meeting. While conjecture is intense, there is no clarity yet as to whether Praveen was deputed by the Congress leadership or whether it was his own initiative.

Praveen heads All India Professionals’ Congress, as also the party’s data analytics wing. Many believe the meeting is some virtual posturing to up the Congress’s stakes at the negotiating table.Nobody disputes that a winning alliance is also the one that presents a picture of coordination among cadres of allies and hard groundwork that results in transfer of votes. “A strong, united opposition is essential for a balanced and accountable democracy.

The INDIA Bloc plays this role by uniting multiple parties to challenge the NDA’s centralized power and defend constitutional values,” says Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, this alliance won more than 230 seats, demonstrating that collective strength can effectively check one-party dominance, he says. The DMK-Congress alliance has survived for close to two decades since 2004, with a brief break between 2013 (when they fell out over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue) and 2016 (when they got together for the assembly election that year).

They have contested four assembly elections together since 2004. It is likely to continue beyond the 2026 assembly election despite possible conflicts, binding them against common enemy BJP.

A DMK-Congress agreement began way back in 1971 for the fifth legislative assembly election when the first electoral deal was sealed. The DMK-led Progressive Front swept the election winning 205 seats, defeating the INC (O) front led by K Kamaraj.

The next DMK-Congress coalition was sealed in 1980. Despite their impressive win of 37 out of 39 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in Jan 1980, DMK and Indira Congress did not win the legislative assembly election that year.

In 1996, DMK aligned with G K Moopanar-led TMC and swept the assembly election. DMK and Congress got back together again in 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021 assembly elections. Despite a Rahul aide and Vijay indulging in not-so-subtle political flirtations and their possible implications ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly election, senior DMK leaders are firm that it could be nothing more than a pressure tactic ahead of seat negotiations.

Senior DMK and Congress functionaries, who have been part of the association for decades, are clear that the alliance is mutually beneficial, strong, and a winning combo.

They cite the growing bond between Rahul and Stalin as a strong ‘winning’ factor. “We are together in Parliament and in the state,” says DMK spokesman T K S Elangovan. “The Congress constituted a poll committee as well to discuss seat-sharing. As far as Congress leadership is concerned, they are with us.” Congress leaders say the Delhi leadership is firm about continuing its association with DMK and Praveen calling on Vijay was to promote his own interests. There is talk as well of DMK being opposed to Praveen seeking a seat in Chennai for himself for the assembly election just as it stopped Congress from accommodating him in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. “When compared to leaders such as Modi or his southern counterparts such as Chandrababu Naidu, Stalin stands out as more democratic, consultative and accommodative towards alliance partners. This reassures us that our aspirations will be protected and advanced under his leadership,” says Selvaperunthagai. Seat negotiations may still cause some internal disturbances. DMK sources, however, insist it will be “perfect” and that they have indicated as much to Congress that it will be “agreeable”.