Congress-DMK Talks Stall Over Seat Sharing

Seat-sharing talks between the Congress and the DMK began on Saturday at the DMK headquarters in Chennai. The discussions lasted for about an hour, but the two parties remain far apart in their demands.

During the meeting, Congress asked for 41 Assembly seats and two Rajya Sabha seats as part of the alliance for the upcoming elections. However, the DMK offered 25 Assembly seats — the same number it had given Congress in the 2021 Assembly elections — along with one Rajya Sabha seat.

According to sources, the DMK clearly told Congress that there would be no power-sharing arrangement. This means Congress would not get any ministerial posts or key government positions as part of the agreement. The ruling party made it clear that the alliance would be limited to seat-sharing only.

Initially, the DMK leadership had considered increasing its offer by two additional Assembly seats. However, the negotiation panel led by senior DMK leader T. R. Baalu decided to stick with the original offer of 25 seats during the formal talks.

The meeting shows that while both parties want to continue their alliance, negotiations are tough. Congress is trying to secure more seats to strengthen its presence in Tamil Nadu, while the DMK is focused on protecting its own electoral strength.

Further discussions are expected in the coming days, as both parties attempt to reach a final agreement before the elections. However, as of now, no deal has been finalized.