Unlike AIADMK, DMK plans to allot seats for allies in bypolls

Inviting applications from cadre for the ensuing Lok Sabha and by elections, DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan said the high command would refund the Rs 25,000 deposit money to cadre who applied for seats allotted to allies.

Stalin, when asked about the seat sharing deal with the Congress ignoring the by polls, said that they would announce the strategy (if) when the by polls are announced. Of the 21 seats, two seats, Sholingur and Hosur were contested by the Congress in the 2016 Assembly polls.

Applications would be issued for LS and by polls at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam from February 25, a statement issued by Anbazhagan said.

The DMK high command has instructed cadre to submit filled in applications between March 1 and 7 for both the Parliamentary polls and Assembly by elections.

The DMK has invited applications a few days after it allotted 10 (including Rajya Sabha) seats to Congress and one to IUML.

The DMK is expected to contest a little over 20 seats in the Parliamentary elections. DMK president Stalin was understood to have planned to contest between 22 and 25 seats in the ensuing Parliamentary elections.

The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) has submitted the number of Parliamentary constituencies they would like to contest with DMK president MK Stalin, who would announce the constituencies in a couple of days, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan said on Saturday. Interacting with reporters at Vellore, he said the recent meeting between DMDK’s Vijayakant and Stalin had made the AIADMK-BJP alliance uneasy. Terming the PMK alliance with the AIADMK as totally unacceptable, he said people knew how the party leader Dr S Ramadoss had criticised various leaders of the ruling party. “They will be totally rejected by the people in the ensuing polls,” he added. On his personal preference of constituency, Thirumavalavan said he would like to contest from Chidambaram Lok Sabha seat, but would wait for alliance leader Stalin to announce it shortly.