New Delhi: The Congress has sought 45 seats from the DMK for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, but the Stalin-led MK party is hesitant to allot more than 25 seats, leading to a deadlock, sources said.The ruling DMK and Congress party on Sunday kicked off the much-awaited seat-sharing talks with Congress national general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal calling on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin at his official residence in Chennai.In a follow-up meeting on Monday, Tamil Nadu Congress chief Girish Chodankar and state unit chief K Selvaperunthagai met DMK parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi, Stalin’s sister, in Delhi.During the meeting, the two Congress leaders reportedly said they hoped to win 45 seats in the 234-seat parliament.While the DMK has been steadfast in allocating 25 seats (the same number as for the 2021 elections), it is yet to formally respond to its allies’ demands.The major party’s demands are reportedly based on a review of the 2021 election results, when the party won 18 of the 25 constituencies in which it contested, achieving a 72% strike rate.Party insiders said Congress believed it could win at least 20 of the seats it lost if it was allocated this time, noting that there would be stronger local influence and better integration in a direct contest.In comparison, the DMK contested in 173 constituencies in 2021, winning 133 and crossing the majority comfortably.The back-to-back meetings come as some leaders of the Congress party in Tamil Nadu have called for power-sharing, but Stalin has ruled out the possibility, saying such an arrangement is not suitable for the state.The DMK leads the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in Tamil Nadu, which includes the Congress, DMDK, Left parties and VCK.The Tamil Nadu assembly elections are expected to be held in April.(with PTI input)
