Seat-sharing negotiations within the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu have run into renewed tension, with multiple partners pressing for a larger share of constituencies ahead of the election.
The trigger, DMK functionaries say, is the decision to allot the Congress party three more seats than it received in the previous election, despite long-standing criticism about the party’s limited organisational strength in the state.
Citing that increase, the Communist parties and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) have also begun demanding additional seats. Even after three rounds of talks, a final agreement has not been reached, according to the report.
The CPI(M) is said to be firm that it will not accept a reduction from its previous tally, while both sides continue to publicly downplay the dispute. DMK cadres, meanwhile, are described as resentful of Congress, alleging it leveraged repeated talk of a separate alliance to secure more seats, even as the DMK leadership presses the Left parties to accept cuts.
The report adds that the DMK leadership believes it has already assessed the Communists’ real electoral strength in earlier alliance experiments, and that the Left parties, with limited options, continue to return to the negotiating table despite the pressure.
