Cong gives up ambiguity, party seat sharing panel meets Stalin

The AICC-constituted panel on seat sharing on Wednesday met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, thus giving up its dilly dallying on the question of alliance and attempting to use the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) of actor Vijay.

With this, the Congress has put an end to toying with the option of teaming up with the fledgling TVK, following the drubbing it received in the Bihar assembly election.

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The five-member panel headed by AICC incharge Kirti Azad Shodankar, and comprising TNCC Chief K Selvaperunthagai, CLP leader S Rajeshkumar and AICC secretaries Suraj MN Hegde and Nivedith Alva, met Stalin and senior DMK functionaries at the party headquarters, Anna Arivalayam.

The Congress is the second largest constituent of the INDIA Bloc in Tamil Nadu, after the DMK. With the Congress, the DMK has commenced the process of seat sharing in the combine which has the VCK of Thol. Thirumavalavan, CPI(M), CPI, MDMK of Vaiko and IUML besides a few other smaller parties.

Having contested 25 seats in the 2021 Assembly election as part of the DMK-led front, it had won 18. Now, for the 2026 assembly poll, the party intends to have a hard bargain and secure 40 seats, Congress sources said. But, after the Bihar debacle, the national party has also given up the clamour for power sharing.

Before the Bihar results were out, there was intense speculation that the Congress was gravitating towards the TVK