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While the Congress prepares for tough negotiations with the DMK over seat allocation for the Assembly election and possibly over “power-sharing”, sources in the party indicated that the leadership was still “seriously weighing” options. This comes against the backdrop of the DMK looking to accommodate newer parties, which would make it difficult for the party to accept the Congress’s demands.
Speaking to The Hindu, a Congress leader, who will be sitting at the negotiating table, said he wishes “these discussions [about pushing for more seats and seeking a share in power] had taken place six months ago”, and not “just before the election”.
“The optics are not great. Imagine raising these issues, creating a big hue and cry... and settling for 28 or 29 or 30 seats? We should have debated, discussed, and raised these issues — six months ago. And moved out of the alliance if we wanted to. The Delhi high command is still talking about 41 seats,” he said.
“The DMK is trying to bring in smaller players — Makkal Needhi Maiam (already in), Sridhar Vandayar’s party and actor Karunas. It has roped in the DMDK as well, mainly because it is concerned about the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam joining the AIADMK alliance. The DMK doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned. Given this situation, how much can we realistically hope to get? If we settle for 30 seats, would that not make us look weak?” he asked.
Meanwhile, a senior member of the VCK, another ally, said if the DMDK was allotted more than six or seven seats, it meant the DMK was preparing for the Congress’s exit. At the same time, he added: “We expect the DMK would agree to our demand of 10 seats, considering the value we bring to the alliance and our performance since 2019. The DMK understands our value.”
On the logic of DMK seeking to contest in more seats, he said: “The DMK needs to contest in 170-180 seats to ensure it gets a majority on its own. There will be anti-incumbency.”
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