2 months ago
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After days of hard bargaining, the CPI (M) connected Monday nighttime (March 23, 2026) yet accepted the five seats offered by the DMK for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. DMK president and Chief Minister M. K. Stalin and CPI (M) State caput P. Shanmugam signed the statement astatine the Anna Arivalayam successful Chennai.
“Though not satisfied, we accepted the seats due to the fact that we bash not privation to make a favourable information for the AIADMK-BJP combine,” said Mr. Shanmugam.
The CPI (M), which was allotted six seats successful the past Assembly elections successful the aforesaid alliance, had begun negotiations with the DMK pitching for allotment of double-digit seats. However, the DMK, citing the introduction of much parties successful the alliance, refused to concede its demand.
Over the past fewer days, the CPI (M), nether unit from its fertile and record and State secretariat, repeatedly went to the dialog array urging that it beryllium allotted astatine slightest the aforesaid six seats arsenic past time. However, adjacent a gathering with Mr. Stalin failed to interruption the ice, with the DMK person remaining steadfast successful allotting lone 5 seats, a fig it had fixed to the CPI also.
Sources said the Marxist party’s wide secretary, M.A. Baby had conveyed that successful the involvement of the INDIA bloc, the enactment whitethorn judge the DMK’s reduced offer.
On Monday (March 23, 2026), Mr. Shanmugam and enactment erstwhile State caput K. Balakrishnan met Mr. Stalin, requesting him 1 last clip to allocate six seats. But Mr. Stalin had yet again expressed an inability to concede their demand.
Sources said astatine 1 point, the CPI (M) had adjacent considered entering the fray successful immoderate constituencies independently and supporting the DMK-led confederation successful different seats. Eventually, it came astir and accepted the five-seat deal.
With this the DMK has completed seat-sharing with astir of its older allies. It has to finalise a woody with the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam. The DMDK, the caller entrant to the alliance, could beryllium invited for finalising a pact subsequently.
