Lok Sabha Polls: DMK clinches alliance pact with VCK, MDMK; talks with Congress still on

Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK on Friday concluded seat-sharing agreements with Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and MDMK led by Vaiko, even as the negotiations with the Congress is yet to be concluded over the number of seats to be allotted and the choice of candidates.

While VCK was allotted Chidambaram and Villupuram, both reserved constituencies, MDMK will get one Lok Sabha contest in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. With this, the DMK has so far alloted 9 of the 39 seats to its allies with CPI (M), and CPI getting two seats each and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Kongunadu Desiya Makkal Katchi (KDMK) one each.

However, the talks with the Congress have been deadlocked due to differences in the number of seats demanded by the parties and the number offered by the DMK.

VCK, a prominent Dalit party whose influence is spread across northern and Central Tamil Nadu, and MDMK will contest in their own symbols, pot and spinning top, respectively. In the 2019 polls, VCK contested one seat in its pot symbol and another in DMK’s Rising Sun symbol, while the MDMK contested in the latter.

VCK accepted two seats despite the party demanding three seats, including one in the General category. Party chief Thol Thirumavalavan said the DMK alliance is “intact” and will contest as “one unit” much like the 2019 polls.

Besides insisting on contesting in its own symbol, the MDMK, a splinter group of the DMK, wanted two seats – one Lok Sabha, and one Rajya Sabha for Vaiko, whose current tenure will expire in July 2025. “We allotted one RS seat for Vaiko in 2019 and he wants us to renominate him again in 2025. And it looks like the LS seat the MDMK will get is for his son Durai Vaiko,” a DMK leader told DH. However, there was no word on the RS berth in the agreement reached on Friday.

Congress, which contested in nine seats in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry in 2019, is insistent on getting 10 seats, while the DMK seems to be offering eight seats in total. “The final number from the DMK is seven in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry. But we won’t settle anything less than 10,” a Congress leader said.

While the DMK, according to a party leader, might follow the 2019 formula and allot 10 seats for Congress, the real problem is anti-incumbency against the incumbents in seats such as Krishnagiri, Karur, Tiruvallur, Arani, and Sivaganga.

“Some of these MPs may not win if they are re-nominated. So, we have flagged our concerns to the Congress on the above seats. If the Congress is willing to give some of these seats to us, we will be happy to contest. But ultimately, it is for the Congress to decide its candidates,” the DMK leader said.

Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) led by actor Kamal Haasan is likely to join the alliance and contest from Coimbatore.

The DMK leader added that the party will complete the seat-sharing negotiations with alliance partners in the next few days so that it can start identifying the seats and finalise candidates.