INDIA bloc wraps up seat allocation in Tamil Nadu: 3 Congress seats replaced

On 9 March, following seat-sharing discussions with the Congress, the DMK announced the allocation of 9 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry seat to the grand old party.

The 10 constituencies allotted to the Congress are:

1. Thiruvallur (SC)
2. Cuddalore
3. Mayiladuthurai
4. Sivagangai
5. Tirunelveli
6. Krishnagiri
7. Karur
8. Virudhunagar
9. Kanniyakumari
10. Puducherry

நாடாளுமன்ற தேர்தல் 2024!

தமிழ்நாடு காங்கிரஸ் கட்சி போட்டியிடும் 10 தொகுதிகள் விவரம்.#Election2024 pic.twitter.com/1tH9inh5YB

— DMK (@arivalayam) March 18, 2024

The list shows three constituencies – Arani, Theni and Tiruchirapalli where Congress candidates contested from in 2019 – have been replaced with Cuddalore, Tirunalveli and Mayiladuthurai.

Additionally, the DMK and the Vaiko-led MDMK also jointly announced that the alliance party would contest from the Tiruchirappalli constituency in the upcoming elections.

On 8 March, the DMK finalised seat-sharing talks with the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and allotted it one seat.

நாடாளுமன்ற தேர்தல் 2024!

தமிழ்நாட்டில் திமுக தலைமையிலான நாடாளுமன்ற தேர்தலில் மதிமுக 'திருச்சிராப்பள்ளி' தொகுதியில் போட்டியிடும்.#Election2024 pic.twitter.com/zzG4rMV1dc

— DMK (@arivalayam) March 18, 2024

Also Read: INDIA bloc seat-sharing in Tamil Nadu: Congress gets 9, DMK left with 21

DMK’s constituencies

With this, the DMK has announced all the constituencies allotted to members of the Secular Progressive Alliance (as called in Tamil Nadu) contesting in the 2024 general elections.

The remaining 21 constituencies from which the ruling party will contest are:

1. Chennai North
2. Chennai South
3. Chennai Central
4. Sriperumbudur
5. Arakkonam
6. Kancheepuram (SC)
7. Tiruvannamalai
8. Vellore
9. Dharmapuri
10. Kallakurichi
11. Salem
12. Pollachi
13. Nilgiris (SC)
14. Coimbatore
15. Theni
16. Arani
17. Perambalur
18. Erode
19. Thanjavur
20. Tenkasi (SC)
21. Thoothukudi

Also Read: DMK allots Madurai, Dindigul to CPI(M), Nagapattinam and Tiruppur to CPI

Seat-sharing details in TN 

On 9 March, DMK President and Chief Minister MK Stalin and TNCC chief K Selvaperunthagai finalised the deal, in the presence of AICC leaders KC Venugopal and Ajoy Kumar.

Seat-sharing details in TN. (South First)

Addressing reporters, Venugopal exuded confidence in the DMK-led combine winning all 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and said the “bonding” between the Congress and the DMK “is intact”.

In January, the DMK held talks with the Congress, as part of the INDIA bloc. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President KS Alagiri told reporters then that the talks were very satisfactory and they would soon take things forward.

On 24 February, the DMK allotted one Lok Sabha constituency each to two of its allies.

While the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) was allotted the Ramanathapuram segment in southern Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian party earmarked Namakkal constituency for the west-Tamil Nadu-based partner Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK). The KMDK candidate will contest on DMK symbol.

On 29 February, the DMK then allotted Left parties CPI and CPI(M) two seats each.

On 12 March, it announced that CPI(M) will contest from Madurai and Dindigul, and CPI from Nagapattinam and Tiruppur constituencies.

On Friday, 8 March, the DMK finalised seat-sharing talks with the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and alloted two seats — Chidambaram and Viluppuram.

(Edited by Kamna Revanoor)