Congress, DMK seat sharing to be finalised on March 10

Chennai, Mar 9 (IANS) The seat sharing exercise between DMK and Congress which has been stuck due to the stand taken by DMK on the number of seats will be finalised by Sunday (March 10).

According to sources in the Congress party, DMK would agree for all the nine seats but there would be changes in three seats. However, DMK leaders, when contacted, were tight lipped on the issue.

A meeting of senior leaders of DMK and Congress will be held at DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, with DMK's T.R. Baalu and S. Duraimurugan representing the ruling party, while Selvaperunthagai will lead the Congress delegation.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai, while speaking to IANS, said: "We are expecting all the nine seats we contested for in 2019, and the one seat in Puducherry.”

He, however, said that this would be finalised only on the meeting with the DMK leaders on Sunday.

Meanwhile, DMK senior general secretary and Tamil Nadu Minister for Water Works, S. Duraimurugan while speaking to IANS said: "DMK President and Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru M.K. Stalin wants to finalise the seat sharing exercise with Congress tomorrow (March 10). We are working hard to settle this and to move ahead with the electioneering.”

According to sources in the DMK, Stalin wants to complete the seat sharing with the Congress at the earliest so that seat sharing with smaller parties are finalised immediately.

It may be noted that in the 2019 general elections, DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) had won 38 of the 39 seats. The only seat the front lost was Theni where the Congress senior leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan lost to O.P. Raveendranathan of the AIADMK.