Ball in DMK's court: Congress on seat-sharing agreement ahead of Tamil Nadu Assembly polls

Acknowledging that there was a “gap” in the number of seats being demanded and offered, Congress on Wednesday pushed the ball into the DMK's court, saying the alliance is not just based on the number of seats but on the “common goal” to defeat the AIADMK-BJP combine.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President K S Alagiri told reporters in Cuddalore, 175 km from here, that the party has conveyed their stand on the number of seats offered to the DMK. Sources said the DMK is ready to give around 24 seats from its initial offer of 18, but Congress wants more than 30 seats.

The second round of negotiations on Tuesday remained inconclusive with both parties sticking to their known stands. With DMK remaining adamant, Congress is disappointed with its senior ally in the state and wants a “respectable number” to it.

Read: Tamil Nadu Assembly Polls: Cong seeks fair deal from DMK based on mutual respect

“This alliance is not based just on numbers. It is based on ideology and the common goal to defeat the AIADMK and BJP which have ruined the state and the country. We are very firm on our stand,” Alagiri said. He added that the second round of negotiations is at an advanced stage, and there was a possibility of another round of talks on Thursday.

“The ball is in DMK's court. They need to decide. They gave a number, and we gave a number. Now it is for them to decide,” Alagiri said when asked about the number of seats that the Congress will be allotted in the DMK alliance.

Not just the Congress, the Left parties and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) are also upset with the DMK on sharing of seats. The DMK, which has been out of power for the past 10 years, wants to form a government on its own and has decided to contest in about 180 of the total 234 seats at stake.

With just 54 seats to be shared among half-a-dozen parties, there is disappointment among alliance partners. The DMK has so far finalised seat-sharing only with two Muslim parties – IUML (3), and MMK (2).