Kanimozhi-Rahul Gandhi Meet Eases Seat Sharing Tensions Between DMK And Congress.

New Delhi: Things looked up for the DMK-Congress alliance ahead of the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi met Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday.

Over the last few weeks, the Tamil Nadu unit of Congress had been concerned over the delay in the seat-sharing talks as it awaited a response from DMK. A five-member Congress panel for seat-sharing talks headed by the AICC in charge of Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, had met DMK leader and Chief Minister MK Stalin on December 3, 2025, to list its two key demands.

The Congress, which had been supporting the DMK in the state for two decades, wanted more seats and a share in power. In 2021, the Congress had 25 seats in the alliance and won 19. This time, the party thought it should get 35-40 seats.

However, the DMK was not happy with the demands. The delay in seat-sharing talks led to heated exchanges between the leaders of the two parties. As tensions mounted within the alliance, Gandhi reviewed the ground situation along with senior party leaders in Delhi on January 17 and took it upon himself to resolve the issues. He also asked the state leaders to refrain from making any controversial statements over the alliance issue.

According to party insiders, Kanimozhi who is also the daughter of party founder and former Chief Minister Late Karunanidhi, meeting Gandhi was a welcome move. “It is certainly a positive development. We are awaiting the details,” AICC secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu Suraj Hegde told ETV Bharat.

According to party insiders, the details included the particular seats that will come to the Congress, which had been working to regroup in around 125 seats over the past weeks.

The AICC screening committee, headed by former Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister TS Singh Deo had met the Tamil Nadu Congress leaders on January 19 and discussed the ground situation. Party insiders said the panel would be able to function properly only when Congress has clarity on which seats to contest. Party managers said a clarity on seats would also allow them to focus better in those areas.

“The meeting in Delhi of leaders from two parties seems a good move. I hope the issues related to the alliance will get resolved soon. Our work will begin only when there is clarity on the seats we are going to contest. As far as Congress asking for more seats is concerned I think this is very natural for a party,” Singh Deo told ETV Bharat.

According to party insiders, the state unit had received applications from around 5,000 candidates for the 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu and would remain open till January 31. Over the last few weeks, the Tamil Nadu Congress has been working to strengthen its presence in the southern state by staging protests related to former rural jobs scheme MGNREGA and the summary intensive revision of voter list, which led to the exclusion of around 97 lakh names.

“We are doing our bit to raise issues affecting the voters. The SIR is a major concern among the voters. We have trained our booth agents for the blocks and have asked them to be vigilant. We urged the gram sabhas to pass resolutions against removal of the MGNREGA and they responded,” said Hegde.

“The people of Puducherry are demanding full statehood and an accountable government, one that takes responsibility for employment, governance, and the future of Puducherry. Our yatra is receiving a very good response there. The corrupt government has systematically damaged Puducherry. Record unemployment, fake medicines, and careless governance have pushed people to the streets,” he said.

Apart from their dissatisfaction over alliance with the DMK, the entry of actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK party ahead of the key elections had caused different views within the grand old party, with leaders divided over going with the old ally or choosing a new one. However, chances were that the grand old party would opt for the old ally, said the party insiders.

Also Read

CM Stalin Calls Rahul Gandhi His 'Brother', Says Bond Beyond Politics Will Shape India's Future