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The DMK has finalised seat-sharing agreements for nine Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha seats with its regional allies, aiming to replicate the alliance’s sweeping victory in 2019 when it won 38 of the state’s 39 parliamentary constituencies. Talks with INDIA bloc partner Congress, however, are still underway with the DMK repeating its 2019 offer of nine seats. Last time, the Congress won eight constituencies.
The DMK has sealed deals with key allies, including the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a party with a significant Dalit voter base led by Thol Thirumavalavan, and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) led by veteran Tamil nationalist leader Vaiko. The M K Stalin-led party has allocated two seats each to the VCK, CPI(M), and CPI, and a seat each to the MDMK, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK). The KMDK is a smaller outfit based in western Tamil Nadu, a region considered a bastion of rival and primary Opposition AIADMK.
The VCK is set to contest the Scheduled Caste (SC)-reserved constituencies of Chidambaram and Viluppuram given they are its strongholds. In 2019, the party won both seats, with Thirumavalavan winning from Chidambaram and the party’s candidate bagging Viluppuram under the DMK symbol. This time, the negotiations were marked by intense discussions and strategic considerations, with the VCK attempting to secure a general seat. But it didn’t succeed as the DMK was apprehensive that giving in to the VCK would trigger similar demands from other allies, especially the CPI(M) and CPI which settled for two each, the same equation as in 2019.
Sources in the DMK and its allies gave an initial picture of the constituency split, which includes swapping certain constituencies. For instance, the CPI(M) will have to opt for either Dindigul or Cuddalore instead of Coimbatore though it will retain Madurai. In 2019, it won both Coimbatore and Madurai. Behind the DMK’s decision to force the CPI(M) to give up Coimbatore is speculation that none other than K Annamalai, the state BJP president, will contest from there.
Among the alternatives for Coimbatore is Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief and actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan who has entered into an alliance with the DMK after independently contesting the 2019 polls. The DMK reportedly offered the MNM the option of either contesting one Lok Sabha seat or accepting a post-poll Rajya Sabha berth.
“We have suggested Kamal Haasan contest from Coimbatore but there is no confirmation as he prefers Chennai South, which the DMK leadership is unlikely to spare for an ally as Chennai Central has always been a traditional bastion of the DMK. If Haasan is not choosing Coimbatore, the DMK will have a powerful face from the party,” said a senior DMK minister.
While the CPI will retain Tiruppur and Nagapattinam, Vaiko’s MDMK will contest from Trichy or Virudhunagar instead of Erode that it currently holds. The IUML is likely to contest again from Ramanathapuram, a seat with significant minority votes. The KMDK will retain Namakkal, the heartland of Kongu Nadu or the Gounder community that it won in 2019.
Thirumavalavan, after negotiations, emphasised his party’s commitment to maintaining a cohesive alliance and the need for a unified approach to ensure electoral success with a secular alliance. Vaiko also expressed satisfaction with the arrangement.
