In a significant political development, I.N.D.I.A bloc's major parties, Congress and DMK, are set to announce their seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The announcement is expected to be made in Chennai on Saturday evening marking a crucial phase in the pre-election preparations.
Tamil Nadu Congress in-charge, Ajay Kumar, along with the party's Organization General Secretary, KC Venugopal, are scheduled to meet with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai. The meeting is anticipated to be the final step before the announcement of seat distribution among the alliance partners.
Sources close to the developments have indicated that the Congress party is likely to secure 9 out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu, along with 1 seat in the union territory of Puducherry. On the other hand, the DMK is expected to allocate 9 seats to the Left parties and other smaller parties within the alliance aimed at consolidating anti-BJP votes in the state and the union territory.
On Friday, DMK finalised seat-sharing agreements with allies Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) for Lok Sabha polls. The principal party DMK reportedly reaffirmed the allocation based on 2019 Lok Sabha Election formula. VCK received two seats, both reserved constituencies, while MDMK was granted one seat.
With this, VCK is set to contest from Chidambaram and Villupuram constituencies. The party led by Thol Thirumavalavan has also decided to contest in its own symbol, the earthen pot, allotted by the Election Commission.
The seat-sharing agreement between Congress and DMK has been eagerly awaited as it will set the tone for the alliance's campaign strategy in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
In 2019, the DMK and allies swept the 2019 polls winning 38 out of 39 LS seats in the state.
ALSO READ: Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, Bhupesh Baghel — Top Guns In Congress's 1st Lok Sabha Candidates' List