DMK-Left seat sharing talks inconclusive

The alliance leader DMK was understood to have offered six seats each to the CPI and CPM. However, the Left parties, which expected at least double digit representation, had returned disappointed.

Seat sharing team of CPI led by its Tirupur MP K Subbarayan said the talks were cordial and it would continue.

A disappointed CPM delegation comprising its state secretary K Balakrishnan, former secretary G Ramakrishnan and CITU leader A Subramaniam went in to a huddle at its state party headquarters where party state executive was urgently convened to discuss the offer of the DMK.

Emerging out of the state executive committee meeting, Balakrishnan said that they have had just one round of negotiation and would discuss further with the DMK.

CPM sources privy to the talks revealed that they had sought 15 seats and they would settle for a ‘respectable’ allotment. A DMK source confirmed the 15 seat opening demand of the Marxists and said the DMK negotiators had stuck to their six seat offer and they could improve the offer by up to two seats, if party president MK Stalin agrees.

If sources in both parties are to be believed, the talks with the Left parties might hinge on offer to the Congress party as sources in CPM and CPI agree that the talks could be resumed after the Dravidian party clinches the deal with the Congress, which was urgently invited for the second round of talks on Tuesday, a day ahead of schedule..

CPM and CPI had contested in 13 and 10 assembly seats each in the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance in 2006 and won nine and six seats respectively.

In 2011 assembly polls, the Left parties contested in the AIADMK-led alliance. CPM won 10 out of the 12 seats while CPI emerged victorious in nine out of the 10 seats.

In 2016 assembly polls, the Left parties contested 25 seats each as part of the People's Welfare Alliance and drew a blank.