Lok Sabha polls: Congress could find negotiation tough with DMK

CHENNAI: The Congress party could face some tough bargaining during seat sharing talks even in Tamil Nadu, one of the states it has been comfortable with in the perspective of the ensuing Parliamentary polls.

If sources in the DMK, the leader of the INDIA bloc in the state, are to be believed, the Congress could be in for a shock if it expected the identification of constituencies, if not the finalisation of seat numbers, to be a cakewalk even with DMK, one of its loyal and endearing allies.

According to top sources in the DMK, at least a few Congress seats are in the radar of the DMK. The ongoing consultations being held by the DMK poll coordination committee comprising Udhayanidhi Stalin among the ministers has been facing pressure, much the same way it did in 2019, from the party functionaries for snatching' some sitting Congress seat.

During the consultation, the DMK functionaries of various ranks urged the DMK leaders to not gift seats like Sivagangai and Virudhunagar.

According to reliable DMK sources, the local DMK unit in Sivagangai was opposed to gifting Sivagangai again to congress, mainly its sitting MP Karti Chidamabram.

Though the DMK does not involve in the business of picking or objecting openly to a candidate chosen by its allies, the leadership is believed to have lent ears to its visibly frustrated district units which voiced their concern over the party DMK not fielding own candidates for many elections in some constituencies.

Both Sivagangai and Virudhunagar are such seats where the DMK, barring the 2014 LS polls it had contested and drew a blank without the Congress and Left, generously allowed allies to contest since 2004 Parliamentary polls.

"Even the high command is wary of the fact that we have not contested in some seats for many elections. Growth of the party and aspirations of the local leaders are scuttled by such magnanimous seat allocation to allies. We are sure the leadership will break the monopoly of allies and accommodate the genuine aspirations of the local party functionaries who are frustrated for many elections now, " said a highly placed DMK leader.

A congress senior unwilling to be quoted admitted that they must prepare to compromise on a couple of sitting seats and also accommodate party men in a few new seats this time in the best interest of the alliance and the party. "We know we will not be allotted a couple of sitting seats. Allies will be forced to take a few easy and difficult seats in any election. That's how seat sharing negotiations always end.

A word from the Gandhis sometimes had convinced the DMK top brass to finally part with one or two seats they initially resisted. We cannot expect the DMK to oblige every time. Also, this election is about making compromises like never before. There will be give and take from both the ends, " reasons the congress senior.

In fact, congress might not be the sole loser in the seat sharing talks either. The DMK has already bene pressurised by the local units to "retain" Namakkal parliamentary constituency currently held by ally KMDK which successfully contested in DMK's Rising Sun symbol in 2019.