Left parties seek 5 seats, DMK offers three

A four-member CPM delegation led by its state secretary K Balakrishnan on Thursday gave a six-seat wish list to the DMK seat sharing team chaired by its treasurer Duraimurugan. “They gave us a list of six seats and asked us to allot any three from that,” a DMK source privy to the negotiation revealed to DT Next. 

Coimbatore, Kanniyakumari, Madurai, North Chennai, Tirupur and a seat in Delta district were the constituencies sought by the Marxists, the source disclosed, adding that the DMK leadership was not in a mood to concede beyond two seats and it was stated to the CPM delegation. Ironically, Balakrishnan, emerging out of Anna Arivalayam, described the meeting as ‘satisfactory’ and said that they are hopeful of clinching the deal soon.

Later, former MP and senior state CPI leader R Subbarayan submitted a wish list of three seats, Tenkasi (SC), Chennai (North) and Nagapattinam to the negotiators. “CPI has asked two seats. Our leaders have offered one only,” a DMK senior added. It has been learnt that the Marxists would settle for two seats if the DMK assures to nominate one of its members to Rajya Sabha this year. Incumbent CPM Rajya Sabah MP TK Rangarajan’s upper house tenure would expire this April. The DMKdoes not want to concede an Upper House berth to allies.

A senior DMK leader said the party wanted to allot a seat each to the Left parties, the MDMK and the VCK. “In the worst-case scenario, we might concede an additional seat to the CPM alone, but not more,” the leader added. Curiously, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi leader MH Jawahirullah also met with the DMK seat sharing team. The Dravidian major has no plans to allot a seat to MMK and even if it did, the minority party might be compelled to contest in the DMK’s “Rising Sun” symbol, as it has planned to accommodate Kongu Nadu Makkal Desiya Katchi.

MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Thursday appointed a five-member committee to hold seat-sharing talks with the DMK. 

According to official statement from Vaiko, the talks would be headed by former MP A Ganesha Murthy, who is also the MDMK treasurer. Apart from Ganesha Murthy, Mallai Sathya, deputy general secretary, Sevanthiappan, secretary, political advisory committee, Senguttavan, secretary, parliamentary committee and Dr Chandirasekaran, member of high-level committee, will be part of the talks with the DMK to be held at Anna Arivalayam, on Friday, around 11 am.

According to the MDMK sources, the party initially was eyeing for three seats, but after the Congress was given nine seats in the alliance in the state, the party had limited itself to two seats.  Sources also said that initially three seats were planned for Vaiko, Ganesha Murthy and Mallai Sathya but now either Mallai Sathya or Ganesha Murthy had to be left out of the list but as far as the constituencies are concerned talks will be held after confirming the number of seats. 

After the MDMK, the VCK will also hold talks with the DMK to decide on the number of seats and their desired constituencies.