AIADMK, Cong differ over seat-sharing

CHENNAI, JULY 24: Snags have developed in identification of seats for the Congress, forcing AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha to put off the rel...

CHENNAI, JULY 24: Snags have developed in identification of seats for the Congress, forcing AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha to put off the release of its list of candidates and the seats for its allies in Tamil Nadu to July 30.Though Jayalalitha told the media that there was no hitch in seat-sharing with the Congress and that talks were going on smoothly, glitches have obviously cropped up over a few constituencies. She was initially all set to release the list on Friday.

The Congress claims for Salem, Krishnagiri and Coimbatore have obviously not gone down well with the AIADMK which instead wants to hand over its new-found ally the Central and North Chennai seats. For one thing, Krishnagiri is a sitting seat for AIADMK. She also feels that a stronger opponent should be put up against TRC chief Vazhapadi Ramamurthy in Salem rather than a Congress weakling. As for Coimbatore, there is already a virtual scramble for the seat by the Left parties.

Jayalalitha also wants the Congress to take Pondicherry. However,the Congress is said to be obdurately refusing to take the seat as it feels the Pondy Congress is too faction-ridden to take on the DMK-alliance there. Another reason for the slow-down in talks is that the three-member TNCC committee speaks in different voices. AIADMK functionaries led by K A Sengottaiyan held discussions for the third day on Friday with the PCC president Tindivanam K Ramamurthy, K V Thangabalu and S Singaravadivelu, the three members of the committee authorised by the AICC to identify constituencies.

But sources said the talks failed to make headway as the three TNCC members spoke in different voices, with their own group interests obviously gaining an upper hand. They had no prior consultations among themselves. Nor did they consult the office-bearers, district presidents and other important functionaries of the party, sources said. It is learnt that the three TNCC leaders met the AIADMK emissaries individually with their own lists. The AIADMK in turn gave the impression that it sought topush down quot;unwantedquot; seats to the Congress, taking advantage of the organisational weakness of >the party and groupism that pulled it in different directions.

Another factor delaying the seat-sharing process, is that the TNCC demanded seats for two controversial women in the name of political equity. Both women were suspected to be of Sri Lankan origin; one was alleged to have links with the LTTE and the other with underworld don Romesh Sharma.