Former Union minister P Chidambaram met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin in Chennai on March 3 as negotiations between the DMK and the Congress over seat-sharing remained unresolved. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Selva Perunthagai accompanied him for the talks.
The meeting comes amid continuing uncertainty within the Congress over whether to remain in the DMK-led alliance or explore an alternative tie-up with the TVK. Party general secretary Venugopal has sought views separately from Congress MPs and MLAs on the way forward.
Based on these consultations, the Congress leadership has reportedly set a deadline until tonight for the DMK to convey a decision on the number of seats. Recent discussions between the two sides did not yield an agreement, prolonging the deadlock.
With the alliance talks still stuck, the Chidambaram-Stalin meeting is being seen as politically significant. It has also raised expectations that the DMK and Congress could finalise seat-sharing and sign an agreement later today.
