New Delhi: The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu allocated nine Lok Sabha seats, including Sivaganga, Cuddalore, Krishnagiri, and Kanniyakumari, to the Congress party for the upcoming general elections. DMK President M K Stalin and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President K Selvaperunthagai Selvaperunthagai signed an agreement at the ruling party's headquarters Anna Arivalayam on Monday.
The specific constituencies allocated were mentioned in the agreement. Selvaperunthagai told reporters that the Congress party would announce its candidates for these constituencies within the next two to three days. The DMK has also allotted the lone LS segment in Puducherry also to the Congress, reported PTI.
The DMK revealed its list of constituencies days after finalising its seat-sharing arrangement with its allies. Among the allocations, the Tiruchirappalli Lok Sabha segment was allotted to the Vaiko-led MDMK, currently represented by the Congress party's Su Thirunavukkarasar.
The MDMK has designated Principal Party Secretary and Vaiko's son, Durai Vaiko, as its candidate for Tiruchirappalli. Notably, of the nine seats allotted to the Congress, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, and Tirunelveli are presently held by the DMK in the 17th Lok Sabha, while the remaining seats were secured by the grand old party in 2019 as an ally of the Dravidian party.
Congress Won Eight Constituencies In 2019
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, except for the Theni Lok Sabha seat, which was clinched by the AIADMK, the Congress emerged victorious in the remaining eight constituencies it contested. The DMK has now completed the exercise of seat allocation, which began over a month ago.
Madurai and Dindigul have been alloted to CPI(M), while Nagapattinam and Tiruppur have been allotted to the CPI. The reserved seats of Chidambaram and Villupuram have been designated for the VCK. The IUML will vie for Ramanathapuram, while the Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katch (KMDK) is set to contest from Namakkal under the Rising Sun symbol, as per PTI.
With this, the DMK will contest in 21 Lok Sabha seats (22 when including Namakkal, as KMDK will run under the DMK symbol), with its allies contesting in the remaining 18 constituencies across Tamil Nadu.