Chennai:The DMK sorted out all differences with its allies in the State and signed two agreements, one with its major partner, the Congress, by acceding to its demand for 10 seats, and the other with the Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM) of Kamal Haasan with a promise for a Rajya Sabha seat in 2025, on Saturday firming up the national level INDIA coalition in the process and getting set to put up an united fight to the BJP.
Congress national leaders, K C Venugopal, Mukul Wasnik and Ajoy Kumar called at DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin, along with TNCC president K Selvaperunthogai, at the Anna Arivalayam on Saturday evening and finalized the seat sharing arrangement, under which the Congress would contest from nine constituencies in the State and the lone Puducherry seat.
Of the remaining 30 seats, DMK will field candidates in 21 constituencies, VCK 2, CPI 2, CPM 2, MDMK 1, IUML 1 (Ramanathapuram) and Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi 1 (Namakkal) and the identification of the constituencies will be done in the next few days.
Earlier in the day, Kamal Haasan called on Stalin at Arivalayam and agreed to be part of the DMK-led coalition in the interest of the nation and not with electoral gains in mind. He also signed an agreement, under which the MNM would be given a Rajya Sabha nomination by the DMK in 2025.
While the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi’s demand for a seat had not yet been addressed so far by the DMK, sources said it would be sorted out amicably by even accommodating the party’s candidate, if they persist with that, in the DMK’s 21 seats. The Tamilaga Valvurimai Katchi (TVK) would be pacified with some other alternative offer, they said.
The swift developments in the DMK camp during the past few days had given no scope for the rival AIADMK to lure some allies into its fold. The AIADMK’s attempt to rope in the PMK and DMDK, too, had not succeeded with both the prospective allies eying for Rajya Sabha nominations.
Also there is a rumour that the PMK might gravitate towards the BJP, which is also trying to form a Third Front in the State. The BJP’s Parliamentary Board is finalizing the list of candidates and it is expected to be released soon as the Election Commission of India is all set to announce the date of elections next week.
