MK Stalin says DMK will contest elections in 20 Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha seats; Congress to tackle 10 seats, including Puducherry

Days after the Congress and DMK formally announced their alliance for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, DMK president MK Stalin on Tuesday said his party will contest in 20 seats and its allies in another 19 in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Stalin also that on 7 March, the party will begin “identification of seats” for the polls.

DMK President MK Stalin: We have allocated 10 seats to our alliance partner Congress & other 10 have been given to our other alliance partners. DMK will contest on the remaining 20 seats.On 7th March, we will begin the identification of the seats for both DMK & alliance partners. pic.twitter.com/bZTiHMBEWR

— ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019

In another development, CPM also finalised alliance terms with the DMK. Party leader K Balakrishna announced the poll pact, saying that the CPM has come on board the Opposition alliance in a bid to defeat the BJP-AIADMK-PMK combine in Tamil Nadu. He also said that CPM would ally on two parliamentary constituencies in the southern state out of the 40 in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

K Balakrishnan, CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist): Also, in the by-elections, we will support DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) in all the constituencies. https://t.co/slllyYKaww

— ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2019

The Congress and DMK had announced their alliance a day after the BJP, on 20 February, had agreed to be part of an AIADMK-led coalition in the state.

The Congress-DMK seat-sharing talks were held at the DMK headquarters in Chennai on Tuesday morning. While the DMK will contest in 20 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress will contest in 10 seats , including Puducherry, reported The Hindu.

Among other allies, the CPI, CPM and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) will contest in two seats each. The MDMK, IUML, IJK and KMDK will each contest in one seat. The MDMK was given a Rajya Sabha seat.

Stalin has also said he will share the dais with Congress president Rahul Gandhi at the election meeting organised by the grand old party on 13 March.