Several Tamil Nadu Congress state and district-level functionaries, who have spoken against the DMK–Congress alliance and in favour of an alliance with TDP, are said to be considering quitting the party. With concerns that the unit could split, AICC observer Mukul Wasnik held talks to calm the disgruntled leaders.
At a meeting at Sathyamurthy Bhavan in Chennai, Wasnik told party office-bearers that everyone must focus on election work to ensure the DMK–Congress alliance succeeds. He cautioned that reports of some leaders planning disruptive moves were “not good”, according to sources.
The meeting also discussed seat-selection strategy for the upcoming Assembly election. Leaders spoke of identifying 42 constituencies where the Congress has prospects and sharing that list with the DMK’s seat-sharing committee, with the aim of negotiating for 28 constituencies with higher winning chances.
Wasnik attended along with another observer, Uttarakhand MLA Qazi Mohammad Nizamuddin, and AICC in-charges Girish Chodankar and Nivedith Alva. Senior leaders including Thangabalu, Thirunavukkarasar, Peter Alphonse and Sorna Sethuraman, besides MPs, MLAs and representatives from the war room and IT wing, were present.
Participants also urged that tickets be prioritised for full-time party workers and those who took part in protests, and that 33% of Congress candidates be women. After the meeting, Wasnik told reporters that seat-sharing talks with the DMK had concluded smoothly and asserted that the Congress remained politically and ideologically strong in Tamil Nadu.
