DMK prevails as Cong to contest 25 seats

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 7

In a major downgrade for the Congress since the last Tamil Nadu elections, the DMK on Sunday allotted 25 seats to the Grand Old Party, which had contested 41 Assembly segments in 2016 and won eight.

The DMK will contest on 180 seats out of 234 in the state Assembly and has allotted six seats to smaller partners MDMK, VCK and CPI, three to the Indian Union Muslim League and two to the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi.

The MK Stalin-led DMK is said to have cited low strike rate of the Congress in the last elections to make the final offer which the Congress accepted today though its state unit had sought at least 30 seats.

The settlement reflects Congress’ lost bargaining power after the Bihar debacle where it was blamed for pulling down the RJD-led “mahagathbandhan”. The recent loss of government in Puducherry is another factor that weighed against the Congress in talks with the DMK.

As part of the deal, the DMK has also given the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha segment to the Congress to contest.

TN Congress incharge Dinesh Gundu Rao said the DMK-led alliance would “win big” and unseat the AIADMK.

WB: ISF nominee to take on Mamata

The Sanyukta Morcha has decided to field Indian Secular Front (ISF) nominee from the Nandigram seat to contest against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (TMC) and Suvendu Adhikari (BJP) in West Bengal. TNS