DMK to hold seat-sharing talks with MDMK, left parties

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party is set to hold seat-sharing talks with the Left parties and MDMK during the first week of next month, it is learnt.
DMK will hold seat-sharing talks with the Left parties and MDMK on February 3 and 4, the sources said.

The CPI has been invited to the DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam for talks on February 3, while the MDMK led by Vaiko would meet the DMK on February 4. The CPIM also will meet the DMK on February 4.

News has been doing the rounds that the DMK would follow the 2019 Lok Sabha elections seat sharing formula this time around also. There may be some minor changes. In case Kamal Haasan and his party Makkal Needhi Maiam, join forces with the Congress, he could be allocated one seat.

Congress has reportedly asked the DMK for more seats. In 2019, the national party got nine seats but in the initial seat-sharing talks with the DMK on Sunday, the party has presented a list of 21 preferable constituencies. Whether the DMK will agree to give more seats and how many more seats the Dravidian party will give is a big question. Senior DMK leaders have reportedly stated the party might not concede more than 10 seats to the Congress. Meanwhile, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi led by Thol. Thirumavalavan wants three seats this time around is the talk.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK fielded candidates in 24 seats. There were four nominees from VCK, MDMK, and KMDK, and IKJ faced the polls in the party’s Rising Sun symbol, Congress (9), CPI-M and CPI (2 each), VCK and IUML (1 each). The DMK won all 20 of the 20 seats it contested while the Congress won eight of the nine seats contested in 2019. One thing is clear say both the Congress and DMK leaders – they want the BJP out of power.