DMK completes seat sharing talks, to contest in over 170 seats

DMK had already allotted 6 seats each to VCK, CPI, MDMK and 3 seats to IUML and 2 to MMK. Having restricted the four erstwhile PWA (People’s Welfare Alliance) parties to 24 seats, including the 6 MDMK seats to be contested, and rest within 54 seats, the DMK has over 170 seats in its kitty. 

The DMK’s “Rising Sun” could be in the poll fray in over 180 seats in the April 6 election, a target the party had set months ahead of the election. Earlier, CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan, who signed the pact with DMK president MK Stalin, said that they settled for the six seats (lowest ever tally of the party in the recent decades) to defeat the communal BJP from gaining a foothold in Tamil Nadu. 

KNMDK led by Eswaran was the lone ally to not seal the deal with the Opposition party. Eswaran, who held talks with the DMK election committee in the evening, told reporters at Anna Arivalayam that they did not finalise the deal with the DMK and would discuss the offer in the party’s Governing Council to decide on the future course of action. 

DMK was learnt to have offered three seats, one seat less than the demand of KNMDK, which has an MP (AKP Chinnaraj) elected to the Parliament on DMK’s symbol from Namakkal.