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Tamil Nadu polls: 'Not yet a stalemate', Moily says on talks with DMK; VCK gets 6 seats
The VCK sought 10 seats initially, but the party accepted the deal to drive out 'Sanathana forces' from Tamil Nadu, said Thol Thirumavalavan.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Thursday sealed an electoral pact with ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), allotting it six seats for the April 6 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu. The pact was signed between DMK president MK Stalin and VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan in Chennai. As per the pact, the VCK will contest elections under an independent symbol instead of DMK’s electoral symbol of the rising sun.
The VCK sought 10 seats initially, but the party accepted the deal to drive out 'Sanathana forces' from Tamil Nadu, said Thirumavalavan.
"Though there was dissatisfaction on the number of seats offered in the party, it was decided to accept the deal to drive out 'Sanathana forces' from Tamil Nadu and to consolidate secular votes," he told reporters.
“It's important to go along with DMK in this assembly polls as BJP-RSS are targeting Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in absence of Jayalalithaa. We won't allow them to come to power here. We shouldn't break DMK-led alliance,” news agency ANI reported quoting Thirumavalavan.
The DMK is also in talks with Congress to hammer out a seat-sharing arrangement for assembly polls. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president KS Alagiri told reporters on Wednesday that the “ball is in DMK’s court”.
Alagiri also denied that Congress has decided to settle for fewer seats than what they had originally asked for, adding that certain issues have to be solved through dialogue since there is no space for bargaining amongst allies, reported PTI.
Two rounds of discussions have taken place between the two parties so far.
Congress leader Veerappa Moily told ANI on Thursday that seat-sharing discussions with DMK are still ongoing and has not reached a dead-end, adding that differences between two parties will eventually be sorted.
“It has not yet become a stalemate, it is still alive. The differences will be sorted,” said Moily.
The 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly will go for a single phase polling on April 6. DMK is looking to come back to power after being the opposition for 10 years.
