After multiple rounds of talks, the DMK and the Congress on Thursday evening finalised the list of 25 constituencies the latter would contest in the April 6 Assembly poll . The Congress and the BJP would face off in five Assembly constituencies in addition to the Kanniyakumar Lok Sabha bypoll.
Candidates of the two national parties will face each other in Colachel, Vilavangode, Udhagamandalam, Karaikudi and Coimbatore South constituencies. The Congress has also been allotted the Velachery seat in Chennai which is currently held by actor Vagai Chandrasekar of DMK.
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Apart from these, the Congress has been allotted Ponneri (Reserved), Sriperumbudur (Reserved), Sholingar, Uthangarai (Reserved), Omalur, Melur, Sivakasi, Srivaikundam, Killiyur, Erode East, Tenkasi, Aranthangi, Virudhachalam, Nanguneri, Kallakurichi (Reserved), Srivilliputtur (Reserved), Thiruvadanai, Udumalpet and Mayiladuthurai.
Speaking to reporters after an agreement with the DMK was reached on the constituencies, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri said the talks had proceeded well and in a trustworthy manner.
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“This alliance will bring about a change in the government and will be an example for the rest of India. Our aim is not just to change the government [in Tamil Nadu] but also to ensure that people live with hope, growth, have security and feel that they are safe,” he said.
Mr. Alagiri added that the Secular Progressive Alliance comprised of well known parties and was an alliance created for social justice and communal harmony.
“This electoral victory will not only be Tamil Nadu’s victory but India’s victory. We will win 100% and put an end to the RSS and Modi government’s efforts to split India, and will remove the corrupt AIADMK regime,” Mr. Alagiri said.
While the talks over seat sharing between the DMK and the Congress had reached a stalemate for more than a week before a phone call between Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and DMK president M.K. Stalin sealed the deal a few days ago, the constituency identification talks took nearly three days.
