Even as the DMK has sealed a seat-sharing deal with the Congress after much-wrangling, there is heartburn among allies like the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the MDMK of Vaiko after a new entrant of the combine with much less vote share, the DMDK, being given a Rajya Sabha berth.
The VCK and the Left parties, fellow travellers with the DMK for long like the Congress, are also apprehensive that their share of seats, instead of being hiked this time, might be reduced from that of the last time to accommodate the DMDK and a few minor parties expected to join the alliance. Including the minor ones, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), has 26 constituents in its ranks. This makes the seat-sharing agreement a big challenge ahead of the DMK’s conference on March 9. This will be all the more daunting with the former allies seeking a bigger share of the pie.
While the VCK, which does not relish the DMDK being given an RS berth, and the Left parties are reportedly demanding double digit seats, some others are pressing for more seats than they had contested last time. In the 2021 election the VCK and the two Left parties and the MDMK were allotted 6 seats each. They want that their share should not be below that of the DMDK, which secured 0.17 vote share in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll, contesting in the AIADMK alliance. Similar is the case with the MDMK which wants to reclaim its position as a State party.
The VCK had secured recognition as a State Party by the Election Commission and hence expects that it should be given double digit seats. VCK leaders claim that the party has an organisational network across the state and their vote share is more than that of the Congress. Besides the party being a multiplier in a coalition by bringing more votes than it could independently, the articulate VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan is a campaign asset for the alliance, it is pointed out.
With the allies demanding their pound of flesh, the DMK will be left with contesting only around 160 seats, leaving many ticket aspirants from its ranks disappointed. However, it could manage it by making smaller allies contesting on this Rising Sun symbol.