‘Total chaos’: BJP’s CR Kesavan takes aim at Congress amid row over candidate selection in Tamil Nadu

New Delhi: BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan on Saturday attacked the Tamil Nadu Congress, claiming the party faced “serious divisions” after MP Jothimani publicly expressed concerns over the lack of transparency in constituency selection ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.In a post on X, Kesavan said these developments reflected the larger pattern within the party and also targeted the DMK-Congress alliance in the state.“Rahul Gandhi’s Congress is a deeply divided House and is in complete disarray in Tamil Nadu. Their TN party MPs are now openly attacking the Congress leadership for lack of transparency. There is a pattern. Rahul Gandhi’s point man in the Bihar elections has been criticized by Congress workers for allegedly selling tickets. This is why the compromised Congress has lost credibility among people across the country. The opportunistic DMK-Congress alliance is in tatters and the tyranny of the disastrous DMK government, one of the worst in the history of Tamil Nadu, will be roundly rejected by the people in the coming elections,” the BJP leader wrote.Kesavan’s remarks came after Jyotimani publicly questioned the Congress party’s constituency selection process, claiming that the decisions were taken in a “highly secretive manner” and the party’s welfare was compromised.“There is absolutely no transparency in the Congress party’s constituency selection. Our view that constituency selection should be done after transparency and extensive discussion is not accepted by responsible leaders. Everything is done in a highly secretive manner. The welfare of the Congress party is completely compromised. It is heartbreaking to see that some people who did not even bother to pluck a feather out of the decades of hard work of genuine Congress workers like us working for the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee are now betraying it,” Jothimani wrote on X.She also warned that the party may face dire consequences in Tamil Nadu if the same approach is adopted in the candidate selection process.“In the face of this terrible situation, we cannot remain silent without raising questions. The party is more than the responsible leader, the national president and the leader of the legislative party. The party is made up of the emotions and labor of thousands of workers. We can discuss this in detail once the list is announced.” If the selection of candidates follows the same pitch, no one can save the Congress party in Tamil Nadu.“The political developments come as the DMK alliance continues to gear up for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.Dravida Munnetra Kazagam (DMK) has announced that its ‘rising sun’ symbol will be contested in nearly 175 constituencies in the state.The DMK alliance has so far allotted seats to nine parties, including Congress (28), MDMK (4), IUML (2), MMK (2), KMDK (2), CPI (5), CPM (5), VCK (8) and DMDK (10). A total of 66 seats have been allotted to allies, out of which 7 seats are contested under the DMK symbol.With the remaining allocation, the DMK is expected to contest directly in 168 seats while alliance candidates will also contest in 7 seats under the ‘rising sun’ symbol, taking the total number of seats under the DMK symbol to 175.Tamil Nadu will go to polls in phases on April 23 and counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.