LS polls: Congress likely to join hands with AIADMK in Tamil Nadu

Chennai, March 5 (IANS) Congress is likely to join hands with AIADMK after the DMK only offered it seven seats in Tamil Nadu instead of nine which the grand old party was demanding.

A senior Congress leader in Tamil Nadu told IANS that the local Congress leadership is open for an alliance with the AIADMK as well.

“We want to win as many seats as possible in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The AIADMK is willing to give us 16 seats. Why should we not have an alliance with them?” he said.

Congress sources told IANS that both AIADMK and Congress have reached out to each other as AIADMK is willing to give 16 seats to the grand-old party.

Sources said that Congress feels insulted after DMK refused to give more seats to the grand-old party.

Local Congress leaders said that the party can make a good deal with the AIADMK and may also be able to win maximum seats. However, the Congress high command has not given any green signal to talks with the AIADMK.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal told IANS said that Congress has an alliance with DMK.

“We are in talks with DMK leadership on seat sharing agreement. And we will continue our alliance with the DMK,” Venugopal said.

In the 2019 general elections, Congress contested over nine seats in Tamil Nadu and won eight seats. It lost the Theni seat where AIADMK leader O.P. Raveendranathan defeated senior Congress leader and former union minister E.V.K.S. Elangovan.

AIADMK has been in alliance with NDA in the 2019 general elections and in the 2021 assembly elections as well. However, it snapped ties with the BJP-led NDA in September 2023 and now is planning to stitch its own coalition.

The AIADMK polled around 33 per cent of the total votes in the 2019 general elections.