The seat-sharing agreement was signed by DMK chief and Chief Minister MK Stalin and leaders of alliance parties at the party headquarters.
Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK, a key constituent of the Opposition INDIA bloc, on Saturday, 24 February, allotted one Lok Sabha constituency each to two of its allies.
Weeks after initiating seat-sharing talks with allies for the April-May Lok Sabha polls, the seat-sharing agreement was signed by DMK President and Chief Minister MK Stalin and leaders of alliance parties at the party headquarters “Anna Arivalayam” in Chennai.
The main Opposition in the state, the AIADMK and the BJP, are yet to announce their allies.
While the DMK’s long-time ally, 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).
KM Kader Mohideen, national president of the IUML said that his party’s incumbent MP from Ramanathapuram, Navas Kani, will be renominated to contest the LS polls.
Mohideen told reporters that his party requested a Rajya Sabha seat from the DMK during seat-sharing talks. The Dravidian party, however, said the seat-sharing exercise was confined to the Lok Sabha polls and questions related to RS elections may be taken up later, at the appropriate time.
Both IUML and KMDK have been allotted the same seats they were given in the 2019 LS polls.
2024 நாடாளுமன்ற தேர்தல் தொகுதி பங்கீடு!
திமுக கூட்டணியில் உள்ள இந்தியன் யூனியன் முஸ்லீக் லீக் கட்சி 'இராமநாதபுரம்' தொகுதியில் போட்டியிடும்.#Election2024 pic.twitter.com/YjiIacuqmo
— DMK (@arivalayam) February 24, 2024
KMDK general secretary Easwaran said that the nominee to be named by his party will contest in the DMK’s “Rising Sun” symbol.
In 2019, KMDK’s AKP Chinraj was elected from Namakkal in the DMK’s symbol.
The DMK is expected to finalise seat sharing with other allies, including the Congress, VCK, and Left parties soon.
TR Baalu, Tiruchi Siva, KN Nehru were among the DMK leaders present during the signing of pacts for the Lok Sabha polls.
2024 நாடாளுமன்ற தேர்தல் தொகுதி பங்கீடு!
திமுக கூட்டணியில் உள்ள கொங்கு மக்கள் தேசியக் கட்சி 'நாமக்கல்' தொகுதியில் போட்டியிடும். #Election2024 pic.twitter.com/D8mSW1hVgE
— DMK (@arivalayam) February 24, 2024
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