DMK requests Congress to give up a seat for DMDK

High command may not oblige as there are too many contestants for nine seats, says TNCC leader

Pushing for pact: A DMK leader said there was progress in talks after M.K.Stalin called on Vijayakant last week.

The DMK has requested its primary ally, the Congress, to give up a Lok Sabha seat from its quota of 10 in case the DMDK, led by actor Vijayakant, agrees to join the alliance for the Lok Sabha election.

The ruling AIADMK has been holding talks with the DMDK for the past few days without success.

“A few days ago the DMK leadership conveyed the message to us through Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi. We have also informed our Delhi high command about the request,” said a senior Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) leader, requesting anonymity.

A senior DMK leader told

The Hindu that there was much progress in the talks held with the DMDK after party leader M.K.Stalin called on Mr. Vijayakant last week. “However, nothing has been finalised so far,” he said.

The TNCC leader explained that the Congress might not be in a position to give up a seat since the high command was of the opinion that the seats allotted to it were not adequate. “We have too many contestants for the nine seats in Tamil Nadu [besides the lone Puducherry seat],” he said.

In the dark

Asked how many seats the actor-turned-politician demanded from the DMK-Congress alliance, he said the Congress leadership was totally in the dark about the dealings. Its leaders were too busy to pay attention to Tamil Nadu for now. “P. Chidambaram is busy with the election manifesto and Rahul Gandhi is visiting Gujarat, along with K.C. Venugopal. Mukul Wasnik and Ahmed Patel are making preparations for the working committee meeting in Gujarat,” he said.

Meanwhile, the DMK allotted one seat to the Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi, headed by R Easwaran. It will contest on the DMK’s ‘Rising Sun’ symbol.