Tamil Nadu Seat-Sharing: DMK Begins Seat Allotment To Allies, Allots 1 Each To IUML, KMDK

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK, a key party of the opposition INDIA bloc, on Saturday allotted one Lok Sabha constituency each to two of its allies.

Weeks after initiating seat sharing talks with allies for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the seat sharing agreement was signed by DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and leaders of alliance parties at the party headquarters in Chennai.

The main opposition AIADMK and the BJP are yet to announce their allies, according to PTI.

While the DMK’s long time ally, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) was allotted the Ramanathapuram segment in southern Tamil Nadu, the party earmarked Namakkal constituency for the west-Tamil Nadu based partner Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK).

Both IUML and KMDK have been allotted the same seats they were given in the 2019 LS polls.

KM Kader Mohideen, national president of the IUML said his party’s incumbent MP from Ramanathapuram, Navas Kani, will be renominated to contest the LS polls.

Mohideen said his party requested a Rajya Sabha seat from the DMK during seat sharing talks. The Dravidian party, however, said the seat sharing exercise was confined to the Lok Sabha polls and questions related to RS elections may be taken up later, at the appropriate time.

KMDK general secretary Easwaran said the nominee to be named by his party will contest in the DMK’s ‘Rising Sun,’ symbol.

In 2019, KMDK’s AKP Chinraj was elected from Namakkal in the DMK’s Rising Sun symbol.

The DMK is expected to finalise seat sharing with other allies including the Congress, VCK and Left parties soon.

TR Baalu, Tiruchi Siva, KN Nehru were among the DMK leaders present during the signing of pacts for the LS polls. 

The Congress, a key constituent of the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, announced seat sharing with the Samajwadi Party in UP and AAP for Delhi and three other states.