Defeating BJP More Important Than Seat Share, Says DMK's T K S Elangovan

DMK spokesperson T K S Elangovan on Monday backed Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s call for opposition unity, saying defeating the BJP is more important than seat-sharing arrangements in the alliance.

Elangovan said all parties should remain united and focus on defeating the BJP rather than competing over the number of seats each constituent gets. “The alliance should win and defeat the BJP. One party getting two or three seats more is not the question. Everybody should stand united to defeat the BJP,” he told PTI Videos.

His remarks came amid reports of differences between the Samajwadi Party and Congress over seat-sharing for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Yadav had said the alliance’s primary objective should be defeating the BJP and protecting democracy, the Constitution and reservation.

Elangovan also launched a strong attack on the BJP and the Election Commission over allegations of voter deletions during electoral-roll revision. He alleged that anti-BJP voters were being deliberately removed from electoral lists.

“BJP is doing everything. They want to remove the voters. Particularly, they are using the revision to remove people of other religions because they will not vote for the BJP,” he alleged.

The DMK leader also questioned the neutrality of the Election Commission and criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the poll panel was no longer functioning independently.

“The Election Commission is a neutral body. But after Gyanesh Kumar had come, it is not a neutral body,” he claimed. Elangovan rejected the Tamil Nadu government's claim that it had saved Rs 187.56 crore through tur dal procurement for ration shops, saying the savings were the result of not procuring the commodity.

He also dismissed concerns raised by private bus operators over the state's free bus travel scheme for women, saying operators did not want to provide free travel and that the Madras High Court would decide the matter.