DMK seat sharing talks with allies MDMK, VCK likely today
The DMK is likely to hold seat sharing talks with allies MDMK and VCK in a day or two. The alliance leader DMK would be engaging the smaller allies shortly after the party hosted a delegation of its largest ally, Congress at Anna Arivalayam early this week.
A DMK seat sharing team led by its treasurer TR Baalu, sources said, could be hosting members of MDMK and VCK on Monday. Meanwhile, MDMK general secretary on Sunday constituted a four-member committee, including its deputy general secretary ‘Mallai’ CA Sathya to hold negotiations with the DMK.
If information coming out of DMK headquarters are something to go by, the DMK leadership is keen on restricting the two parties to around four seats each or if possible less.
DMK sources with knowledge of the negotiations said that except the Congress party, none of the allies could be allotted over half a dozen seats. Even the Congress party could be restricted to around 20 seats and even in the worst case scenario of pressure being mounted by the Congress high command, the DMK does not want to concede more than 25 seats to the Congress party.
The DMK, which is wary of allies pulling down the party in the 2016 Assembly polls, plans to contest not less than 180 seats in the April 6 election. That said, the seat sharing negotiations were unlikely to drag on in the Secular Progressive Alliance given that the allies have already publicly declared their willingness to make compromises to protect the harmony of the alliance.