CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai on Sunday said the Congress leadership had originally sought 41 seats in the upcoming Assembly election but accepted 28 seats in the DMK-led alliance in the interest of protecting the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Selvaperunthagai said the Congress high command had demanded 41 Assembly constituencies during alliance negotiations. However, considering the larger goal of safeguarding the interests of the people and the State, the party accepted 28 seats with satisfaction after securing three additional constituencies.
His remarks come a day after CPM State secretary P Shanmugam stated that the Congress had negotiated and obtained three additional seats and indicated that his party too would seek more seats.
Responding to the issue, Selvaperunthagai said Congress, as a national party, had contested in 110 constituencies in Tamil Nadu in previous Assembly elections. Within the DMK alliance, the party had earlier contested in 63 seats, which later came down to 41 and subsequently to 25 in the 2021 Assembly election.
“In the current negotiations, our leadership asked for 41 seats. But to protect Tamil Nadu and the welfare of its people, we accepted 28 seats with satisfaction after obtaining three additional constituencies,” he said.
He added that it would not be appropriate for friendly parties in the alliance to compete with Congress for seats. “All alliance partners have the right to demand their share.
Chief Minister MK Stalin has the goodwill and he will decide accordingly,” he said, urging allies to understand the Congress party’s concerns.