DMK chief M Karunanidhi met senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in Chennai today.
Highlights
- Congress said the meeting was meant only to discuss poll strategy
- Both sides exchanged opinions, said Karunanidhi's son MK Stalin
- Sources said Congress wanted 63 seats, DMK offered around 30
After more than an hour's discussion, the tussle for seats between allies DMK and the Congress for the coming Tamil Nadu assembly elections remained inconclusive today. With the DMK keen on contesting as many seats as possible so they can gain majority on their own, and the Congress pushing for more, a resolution may take several more sessions, sources said.
But the Congress chose to play down the issue, saying the meeting was meant only to discuss poll strategy. "We are yet to firm up numbers," said Ghulam Nabi Azad, who represented the party during the meeting with M Karunanidhi in Chennai.
"Both sides exchanged opinions... the Congress would return after consulting leadership," Mr Karinanidhi's son MK Stalin later said.
While Mr Stalin refused to reveal how many seats the Congress was offered, DMK sources said the figure was around 30. But the Congress sought 63 seats -- the same number it contested in 2011 -- in the 234-member assembly. Sources in the party said for now, the Congress will identify seats it wants to contest from.
The party, DMK's main ally in the state, is pressing for more given the senior partner's failure to woo Captain Vijayakanth's DMDK into its camp. Crushing DMK's hopes, the DMDK on Wednesday tied up with PWF -- the four-party Front that has made the election a four-cornered contest.
The bargaining power of the Congress had been severely curtailed by its poor performance in the 2011 elections. During the 2011 elections, the Congress was given 63 seats in the 234-member assembly, but it won just 5. The DMK had won 23 seats.
The Congress suffered a further jolt more than a year ago, when GK Vasan broke away to revive the Tamil Maanila Congress, a party founded by his father, GK Moopanar.
In 2006, the Congress was given 48 seats, of which it had won 34.
This time, the DMK has reached an electoral understanding with Muslim parties like the IUML and the MMK, but the smaller parties may not be allocated too many seats. The IUML has been allocated five seats.