Tamil Nadu Polls: DMK, AIADMK Begin Seat-Sharing Talks with Partners

Political activity in Tamil Nadu has intensified ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, with both the ruling DMK-led alliance and the opposition AIADMK-led NDA moving ahead with seat-sharing discussions.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram met Chief Minister and DMK president M. K. Stalin at his camp office amid an ongoing impasse over seat allocation between the two alliance partners. The meeting, also attended by Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai , followed stalled negotiations after the Congress submitted its list of preferred constituencies to the DMK committee headed by party treasurer T. R. Baalu .

Sources said the DMK has offered around 25 Assembly seats and one Rajya Sabha seat to the Congress similar to the 2021 arrangement. However, the Congress is reportedly demanding between 41 and 45 Assembly seats and two Rajya Sabha berths , leading to a deadlock. Although details of the discussion were not officially disclosed, the talks are widely seen as an effort to break the impasse. Leadership or power-sharing issues were reportedly not part of the current round of discussions.

Separately, the DMK has finalized seat-sharing agreements with two smaller allies the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) allotting two seats each for the elections. The announcement was made by Stalin after talks at the party headquarters. IUML candidates will contest under their traditional ladder symbol, while MMK candidates will use the DMK’s Rising Sun symbol.

The ruling alliance, which currently includes six parties, has now finalised agreements with two partners, while discussions with others such as the Vaiko-led MDMK, VCK, and DMDK are either ongoing or yet to begin.

On the opposition front, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami stated that his party will soon begin seat-sharing talks with its allies under the AIADMK-led NDA. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, he asserted that there was no confusion within the alliance and expressed confidence that the coalition would form the government.

Palaniswami, who recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the political situation and poll strategy, said there was no need to rush negotiations as the election schedule had not yet been announced. He also indicated that some new parties might join the NDA, though no discussions had taken place regarding the inclusion of expelled leader V. K. Sasikala’s faction.

With major alliances actively engaging in negotiations, Tamil Nadu’s political landscape is witnessing strategic repositioning as parties prepare for the upcoming elections that are widely expected to be held in the April–May period.