After a prolonged round of negotiations, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has accepted five seats offered by the DMK as part of the alliance arrangement in Tamil Nadu.
The agreement was signed in Chennai by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and CPI(M) state secretary P. Shanmugam, formalising the seat-sharing understanding.
According to the developments, the DMK had decided to allot five seats each to the CPI and the CPI(M). CPI(M), however, initially declined the offer and held internal discussions in Chennai under the leadership of its national general secretary, Baby.
Party leaders said they had aimed to secure at least six seats, similar to the previous election. During talks with Stalin, the Chief Minister reportedly cited the need to accommodate smaller parties with at least one seat each and said the expanded alliance made it difficult to offer six seats.
Following further deliberations, CPI(M) leaders met Stalin again on Monday night and agreed to the five-seat offer, after which the seat-sharing pact was signed.
