DMK-Congress alliance talks to begin, parties admit distinct views

With a few months left for the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Congress MP Jothimani said on Wednesday that alliance talks will begin next week and reiterated the stand of every political party on coalition governments. Jothimani admitted that Congress and CM Stalin hold "distinct views" on the coalition. "Every party has its own view on coalition govts. DMK and Congress are separate parties with distinct views on coalitions. Congress has formed a committee for this. The CM (MK Stalin) has his own view. In our committee, alliance talks will commence on 22nd February," she said.

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DMK Alliance 'Extremely Strong', Says TN Congress Chief

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Congress president K Selvaperunthagai said the DMK-led alliance is "very strong". "The INDIA alliance is very strong. The DMK-led alliance is an extremely strong alliance. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam will win again and achieve consecutive victories," Selvaperunthagai said while talking to reporters at Chennai airport.

He further said, "We placed this request only with the intention that our alliance partners should immediately take the lead as primary field workers. The sooner we reach out to people, the sooner the INDIA alliance led by the DMK should meet them. On that basis, we express our heartfelt thanks, on behalf of the Congress Legislature Party, to the Chief Minister for immediately appointing a committee."

Stalin Rules Out Shared Governance Model

This comes after MK Stalin firmly ruled out any shared governance model with the DMK allies, like the Congress. Recently, there have been voices within the Congress which had spoken up for demanding ministerial berths in the DMK-led government. Stalin asserted that a power-sharing arrangement in governance would not be suitable for Tamil Nadu. "A share in governance is a demand that does not apply to Tamil Nadu. They know it better than us. That slogan is nothing but a calculated conspiracy by those who cannot stand to see us united," he said

However, the Tamil Nadu CM signalled that the Congress would continue to be a partner when the state goes to the polls. "Congress will certainly remain in the DMK alliance. Our alliance is cordial. It is the media that is deliberately creating certain unnecessary perceptions," he said.

Alliance Meeting and Poll Context

The public posturing is likely to continue as the DMK has called for a meeting on February 22 to discuss the contours of the election. A probable discussion on the number of berths for allies is also likely to take place.

The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to the polls in the first half of the year. The DMK won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. Congress won 18, PMK won 5, VCK won 4, and others won 8. (ANI)