Cong inks deal with DMK, now

A day after the BJP finalised its electoral deal with the AIADMK, the Congress inked a poll pact with the DMK as per which it would field candidates in nine of the 39 Parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu and in the lone Puducherry seat for the coming Lok Sabha elections.

The deal was signed by DMK president M K Stalin and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K S Alagiri at the DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam in Chennai on Tuesday evening.

The Congress was expecting at least 11 seats in the DMK-led front but was content with the final number, which was two more than what the Dravidian party had initially offered to it during the talks between representatives of the two camps

held in New Delhi over the past few days.

In 2014, the Congress had contested alone in all seats and drew a blank, as was the case with the DMK, which could not win any seat though it fielded candidates in 35 constituencies. Subsequently, the two parties buried the hatchet and tied up to face the Assembly elections in 2016. Briefing journalists on the agreement, Stalin said the constituencies to be allotted to the Congress would be decided after the DMK completes seat sharing talks with its other potential allies. Though Stalin did not name the other parties and merely said that the talks will be held with parties that were friendly to the DMK, its potential allies include the CPI, CPI (M), MDMK, Indian Union Muslim League and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. These parties are likely to be allotted one or two seats depending on their bargaining capacity. Venugopal said the DMK and Congress were old friends and would win the elections as the people were angry with the Narendra Modi-led Central Government.