Political Desk – With Tamil Nadu heading for Assembly elections this year, the Congress has started reworking its strategy inside the DMK-led alliance and is now openly asking for more seats and a share in power.
According to sources, the Congress has internally fixed 40 seats as its ideal target to show its importance in the next Assembly. However, the DMK is said to be willing to give 32 seats. After this, the Congress has reportedly reduced its demand to 38 seats.
At the same time, Tamil Nadu Congress leaders are also trying to convince Rahul Gandhi about the possibility of an alliance with actor Vijay’s party, TVK, sources said.
On Monday, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that the party does not want only seats in the alliance, but also a share in the government if the coalition wins. He said this demand is coming from party workers and is part of a fresh strategy before the elections.
His statement came soon after TVK reached out to Congress and called it a “natural ally”, which has increased talk about new political tie-ups in the state.
TVK spokesperson Felix Gerald said that Vijay and Rahul Gandhi are friends and claimed that the chances of an alliance with Congress are high. However, he added that talks could be delayed because of internal issues within the Tamil Nadu Congress.
Meanwhile, TVK leader Nirmal Kumar said that any decision on alliances will be taken only after party chief Vijay holds discussions.
“Our leader will consult and then announce the alliance. There are still about two months left before the elections,” he said.
As the election season gets closer, seat-sharing talks and alliance discussions in Tamil Nadu are clearly heating up.
