Chennai: With the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections expected to be announced soon, seat-sharing negotiations within the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance have intensified, with the Congress party pressing for a significant increase in its share of constituencies. It has been reported that the Congress has also requested the DMK to reserve mayoral posts in local body elections.
Congress seat demand and Rajya Sabha aspirations
According to reports, the Congress, which contested 25 seats in the DMK alliance during the last assembly elections, is now asking for more than 30 seats this time. Sources indicate that the Congress is also seeking one of the four Rajya Sabha seats expected to come to the DMK alliance in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
Tamil Nadu Congress senior in-charge Girish Chodankar has stated that the DMK is seriously considering the request for a Rajya Sabha seat within the alliance. It has also been reported that the Congress has requested the DMK to reserve mayoral posts in the upcoming local body elections, indicating the party’s interest in securing representation beyond the assembly level.
DMK’s position and expected allocation
The DMK leadership has reportedly advised alliance partners to accept fewer seats than they contested last time, given the inclusion of new allies such as the DMDK and Makkal Needhi Maiam in the Secular Progressive Alliance. Despite this, political circles suggest that the DMK is likely to give two or three more seats to the Congress compared to its last election tally.
Chodankar stated that the DMK’s seat-sharing committee will call for formal talks, but noted that the next round of negotiations has not yet been decided.