Congress team meets Stalin; DMK to form panel for Seat-Sharing talks

With Assembly election preparations gaining pace in Tamil Nadu, a Congress delegation met Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at Anna Arivalayam on Monday, marking the first round of courtesy-level discussions on seat-sharing within the DMK-led alliance.
Earlier in the day, Congress leaders held an internal consultation at Sathyamoorthy Bhavan. The meeting was chaired by Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar, with participation from TNCC President K. Selvaperundhagai, AICC Secretaries Sujeet (Suraj) Hegde and Nivedith Alva, CLP Leader S. Rajesh Kumar, and senior leaders E.V.K.S. Elangovan, S. Thirunavukkarasar, Peter Alphonse, K.R. Ramasamy, and K.V. Thangabalu.
During one-on-one discussions, some leaders insisted that the Congress should not settle for anything less than the 25 seats it contested in the last Assembly polls, arguing that more parties are likely to join the fray this time. Others pushed for a more ambitious formula — two Assembly seats per Lok Sabha seat, totalling 78 seats, and a share in the government, along with two Rajya Sabha seats, pointing to the weakened position of the AIADMK-led alliance.
After consolidating opinions, Chodankar’s coordination team prepared a seat-demand list and met Chief Minister Stalin. Sources say Stalin told them the DMK’s alliance negotiation committee would be announced soon, after which formal seat-sharing talks could begin.
Speaking to reporters, Selvaperundhagai described the meeting as a courtesy call, adding that it has dispelled speculation about strains in the DMK–Congress relationship. “This is a winning alliance. Today’s meeting proves the INDIA bloc remains strong,” he said.
On behalf of the DMK, Minister K.N. Nehru, Organizing Secretary R.S. Bharathi, and DMK Media Relations Head T.K.S. Elangovan were present.