TN assembly polls: After seeking 41 seats, Congress settles for 28+1 in pact with DMK; Sonia Gandhi steps in to break deadlock

CHENNAI: The DMK-Congress alliance ended weeks of uncertainty on Wednesday, announcing a seat-sharing agreement that gives Congress 28 assembly seats and a Rajya Sabha berth.

Chief minister M K Stalin and TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai signed the agreement at the DMK headquarters in the presence of AICC member Girish Chodankar and senior DMK leaders, including Kanimozhi, who played a crucial role in ending the impasse.


"We are satisfied," Selvaperunthagai told reporters at Anna Arivalayam. "AICC will announce our RS candidate." The negotiation had started with some hard bargaining. Congress demanded 41 seats and DMK offered 25 seats, the same as in 2021. After multiple rounds of back-channel talk, a last-ditch attempt by former Union minister P Chidambaram, and late-night telephone calls by Kanimozhi to Congress leaders, DMK agreed to increase its offer to 27 seats on Tuesday, and later to 28.

Congress negotiators scaled down their demand to 35 and later 30. Congress sources said while Rahul Gandhi was keen on a larger number of seats, Sonia Gandhi finally prevailed upon him to settle for 28 as the party couldn't afford to antagonise DMK which is its prime supporter at the national level against the ruling BJP.

Congress has also dropped, for now, the demand for power sharing. Chodankar refused to reply to a reporter's question on whether power-sharing figured in the final round of talks. Softening of the stand became inevitable as the two parties realised keeping the alliance intact is crucial for both.

Congress's vote share, particularly in minority-dominated pockets, has contributed to DMK front's victory. With actor Vijay's TVK expected to make inroads in the minority vote bank, retaining Congress was essential for Stalin.

For Congress, being with DMK is crucial not just in TN, but at Centre too. Though some Congress leaders pitched the idea of aligning with TVK, many were apprehensive as even a higher number of seats to contest in the company of the new party wouldn't mean more MLAs. However, aligning with DMK meant a higher probability of victory. Chodankar said talks on Puducherry seat sharing would begin on Thursday.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !