A day after breaking the deadlock, the DMK and the Congress today formalised their seat-sharing pact for the April 13 assembly polls, under which the national party will contest 63 seats.
DMK chief M Karunanidhi and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K V Thangkabalu signed the agreement, hammered out after hard bargaining by both sides for about a fortnight.
"Following discussions, it has been decided to share 63 seats with Congress," the copy of the agreement released to the media said.
Later, Thangkabalu described the DMK-Congress combine as a "winning alliance."
The seat-sharing talks had run into rough weather with DMK refusing to allot 63 seats and Congress dead set on its demand, which had brought the seven-year-old alliance under serious strain.
The stalemate continued till Tuesday when DMK finally relented to Congress' demand for 63 seats.
The DMK and the Congress had contested the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha polls from the same platform besides the 2006 Assembly elections.
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Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
DMK-Congress: Is 61 the magic number?
The Congress and DMK are expected to decide today whether they will stick together for the Tamil Nadu elections or split up over how many seats the Congress should be allowed to contest. Sources in Chennai say both sides have agreed on 61.
It's been a hectic morning for both parties. After a meeting with Sonia Gandhi last night in Delhi, senior DMK leaders briefed their chief, M Karunanidhi, who is likely to give his feedback on the negotiations in the next few hours. In a sign that the marriage may be saved, Mr Karunanidhi's daughter, Kanimozhi, is heading to Delhi from Chennai.
The DMK had initially drawn the line at 60 seats for the Congress, which said nothing less than 63 was acceptable. The Congress also said it wanted to participate in the government if the alliance wins the election (in the current arrangement, the DMK is in power with support from the Congress). Both sides have this morning reportedly agreed to bridge the gap at 61 seats.
The bluster has been high-volume since Saturday night, when the DMK announced that it was dropping out of the UPA coalition at the Centre over the battle with the Congress in Tamil Nadu. The DMK has 18 MPs and six ministers in the Centre, which give the party considerable clout. So after its ultimatum, the DMK waited for the Congress to coax and cajole it to change its mind - that never happened. Yesterday, DMK leaders like Mr Karunanidhi's son, MK Alagiri, who is a union minister, said all six ministers of the DMK would hand in their resignations to the PM.
Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee then staged an intervention last afternoon, meeting Mr Karunanidhi's nephew, Dayanidhi Maran. By the evening, the DMK ministers recalled the decision to resign, stating that the Congress had asked for another day. Last night, Mr Maran and Mr Alagiri met Sonia Gandhi, but sources say the talks ended without a break-through. This morning, the DMK chief was briefed on those talks and he said he would hold a new round of discussions with senior DMK leaders in Chennai.
Divorce over 2G scam?
While the Congress and the DMK argue publicly over seats, sources say the real cause for the break-up is the DMK's entanglement with the 2G spectrum scam. One of the DMKs main men, A Raja, who was Telecom Minister, has been arrested for siring the scam, which saw valuable frequency being given at throwaway prices to private companies. A Rs. 214-crore kickback from the scam was allegedly routed to a TV station in Chennai that's owned largely by Mr Karunanidhi's wife, and his daughter Kanimozhi, who is an MP and a close associate of Mr Raja's. The CBI, in charge of investigating the scam, has raided the homes and offices of people closely associated with Kanimozhi, and she is expected to be questioned in the next few weeks by the CBI. The DMK is getting increasingly uncomfortable with the inquiry and what it might throw up. The Congress, on the other hand, is suggested to be wary of asking for votes with a political partner whose senior members seem tarnished by corruption.
For NDTV Updates
It's been a hectic morning for both parties. After a meeting with Sonia Gandhi last night in Delhi, senior DMK leaders briefed their chief, M Karunanidhi, who is likely to give his feedback on the negotiations in the next few hours. In a sign that the marriage may be saved, Mr Karunanidhi's daughter, Kanimozhi, is heading to Delhi from Chennai.
The DMK had initially drawn the line at 60 seats for the Congress, which said nothing less than 63 was acceptable. The Congress also said it wanted to participate in the government if the alliance wins the election (in the current arrangement, the DMK is in power with support from the Congress). Both sides have this morning reportedly agreed to bridge the gap at 61 seats.
The bluster has been high-volume since Saturday night, when the DMK announced that it was dropping out of the UPA coalition at the Centre over the battle with the Congress in Tamil Nadu. The DMK has 18 MPs and six ministers in the Centre, which give the party considerable clout. So after its ultimatum, the DMK waited for the Congress to coax and cajole it to change its mind - that never happened. Yesterday, DMK leaders like Mr Karunanidhi's son, MK Alagiri, who is a union minister, said all six ministers of the DMK would hand in their resignations to the PM.
Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee then staged an intervention last afternoon, meeting Mr Karunanidhi's nephew, Dayanidhi Maran. By the evening, the DMK ministers recalled the decision to resign, stating that the Congress had asked for another day. Last night, Mr Maran and Mr Alagiri met Sonia Gandhi, but sources say the talks ended without a break-through. This morning, the DMK chief was briefed on those talks and he said he would hold a new round of discussions with senior DMK leaders in Chennai.
Divorce over 2G scam?
While the Congress and the DMK argue publicly over seats, sources say the real cause for the break-up is the DMK's entanglement with the 2G spectrum scam. One of the DMKs main men, A Raja, who was Telecom Minister, has been arrested for siring the scam, which saw valuable frequency being given at throwaway prices to private companies. A Rs. 214-crore kickback from the scam was allegedly routed to a TV station in Chennai that's owned largely by Mr Karunanidhi's wife, and his daughter Kanimozhi, who is an MP and a close associate of Mr Raja's. The CBI, in charge of investigating the scam, has raided the homes and offices of people closely associated with Kanimozhi, and she is expected to be questioned in the next few weeks by the CBI. The DMK is getting increasingly uncomfortable with the inquiry and what it might throw up. The Congress, on the other hand, is suggested to be wary of asking for votes with a political partner whose senior members seem tarnished by corruption.
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Jayalalithaa denies links to Hasan Ali Khan
AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa today issued legal notices to three media organisations, including DMK-owned 'Kalaignar TV', for carrying "frivolous and defamatory" reports linking her to tainted Pune based businessman Hasan Ali Khan, and demanded unconditional apology from them.
The notices have been issued to Mumbai-based eveninger 'Mid-Day', Chennai-based DMK's official mouthpiece 'Murasoli' and 'Kalaignar TV'.
Jayalalithaa said she will take legal action if the three media organisations failed to respond to her notice.
Jayalalithaa's counsel P H Manoj Pandian said in the notice that the "preposterous claim made without any verification is not backed by any documentation."
"My client states that the report by Mid-Day quotes an anonymous investigating officer as saying that investigations into huge cache of money in the possession of Hasan Ali Khan, who is at the center of a controversy for reportedly evading Income Tax to the tune of several thousand crores, pointed to 'a woman politician, who was also Chief Minister of a state from South India. This is mischievous, scurrilous, malicious and insinuating journalism at its very worst," he said.
Pandian said Jayalalithaa categorically makes known that she has nothing whatsoever to do with Hasan Ali and said it was she who had issued statements and pressed for action against persons who have stashed black money in foreign banks.
Khan is accused of stashing black money abroad.
He said the Mid-Day report became the source for Murasoli and Kalaignar TV which identified the "woman Chief Minister" as Jayalalithaa in a highly "defammtory, slanderous report" in the Tamil daily which was also broadcast in Kalaignar TV.
The report was conceived through "sheer imagination" and published without any verification and with ulterior motive, he said in the notice.
"My client states that the above referred news item does not contain an iota of truth. The news item is false, frivolous and defamatory with the intention of maligning my client in order to cause loss of reputation to her and the party she leads," he said.
Saying that Jayalalithaa had suffered loss due to the report that cannot be quantified, Pandian said the dailies should tender unconditional apology and publish it in the first page, while Kalaignar TV has to broadcast the same.
"It has to be done immediately on receipt of this notice by all of you, failing which my client would be constrained to institute necessary and appropriate civil and criminal action against you, jointly and severally to restrain you from indulging in such reckless, frivolous and irresponsible allegations and publishing the same, apart from claiming damages for the loss of reputation," he said.
For NDTV Updates
The notices have been issued to Mumbai-based eveninger 'Mid-Day', Chennai-based DMK's official mouthpiece 'Murasoli' and 'Kalaignar TV'.
Jayalalithaa said she will take legal action if the three media organisations failed to respond to her notice.
Jayalalithaa's counsel P H Manoj Pandian said in the notice that the "preposterous claim made without any verification is not backed by any documentation."
"My client states that the report by Mid-Day quotes an anonymous investigating officer as saying that investigations into huge cache of money in the possession of Hasan Ali Khan, who is at the center of a controversy for reportedly evading Income Tax to the tune of several thousand crores, pointed to 'a woman politician, who was also Chief Minister of a state from South India. This is mischievous, scurrilous, malicious and insinuating journalism at its very worst," he said.
Pandian said Jayalalithaa categorically makes known that she has nothing whatsoever to do with Hasan Ali and said it was she who had issued statements and pressed for action against persons who have stashed black money in foreign banks.
Khan is accused of stashing black money abroad.
He said the Mid-Day report became the source for Murasoli and Kalaignar TV which identified the "woman Chief Minister" as Jayalalithaa in a highly "defammtory, slanderous report" in the Tamil daily which was also broadcast in Kalaignar TV.
The report was conceived through "sheer imagination" and published without any verification and with ulterior motive, he said in the notice.
"My client states that the above referred news item does not contain an iota of truth. The news item is false, frivolous and defamatory with the intention of maligning my client in order to cause loss of reputation to her and the party she leads," he said.
Saying that Jayalalithaa had suffered loss due to the report that cannot be quantified, Pandian said the dailies should tender unconditional apology and publish it in the first page, while Kalaignar TV has to broadcast the same.
"It has to be done immediately on receipt of this notice by all of you, failing which my client would be constrained to institute necessary and appropriate civil and criminal action against you, jointly and severally to restrain you from indulging in such reckless, frivolous and irresponsible allegations and publishing the same, apart from claiming damages for the loss of reputation," he said.
For NDTV Updates
Re-think your resignations, Pranab urges DMK
The Congress has asked the DMK to think one last time about its decision to quit the government. The DMK says its chief, M Karunanidhi, will review that offer.
So can this marriage be saved?
The political equivalent of a couples counselling session was held in Delhi this afternoon with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee meeting with the senior DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran. Also present: The Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad who is in charge of Tamil Nadu.
Earlier this morning, the parties seemed headed for divorce court with the DMK's ministers arriving in Delhi to submit their resignations to the Prime Minister.
Mr Mukherjee sent a sort of "Are you really sure?" message to the DMK. On record, the DMK bristled. TR Baalu said Mr Mukherjee's message had been passed on to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. "As of now, there is no reconsideration by the DMK," he said. When asked if the split was likely to be reverse engineered, he said, "I am not a fortune teller."
But the meeting with Mr Mukherjee suggested a reconciliation is what both parties want, despite the bluster.
The DMK has six ministers and 18 MPs, allowing it to be an influential member of the coalition government at the Centre.
What has turned the allies into foes is the negotiation over what sort of role the Congress will play - first in the Tamil Nadu elections, and then in the government if the DMK comes to power. Currently, the DMK government is supported "from outside" by the Congress - the latter is not part of the government. Elections in Tamil Nadu are scheduled for April 13. The Congress wants 63 seats, as opposed to the 60 that the DMK is prepared to part with. Also, the Congress has shortlisted some constituencies which have to be included in its share. That's not acceptable to the DMK.
So the regional party insists its six ministers will meet the Prime Minister today to formalise the divorce with their resignations. (Read: What upset the DMK)
The split was first announced by the DMK on Saturday which apparently expected the Congress to respond with some serious TLC. The Congress instead chose to keep its distance, possibly emboldened by the fact that the Samajwadi Party has indicated it could replace the DMK in the coalition. On Sunday, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav claimed the UPA government will not fall - with his 22 MPs, that's not an empty promise.
In the 543-seat Lok Sabha, the half-way mark is 272. The Congress has 207 seats. Allies like the DMK push the UPA's tally to 274 - just two more than that critical half-way mark.
The DMK's 18 seats push the government into a minority. But Mulayam's 22 compensate nicely.
Divorce over 2G scam?
While the Congress and the DMK argue publicly over seats, sources say the real cause for the break-up is the DMK's entanglement with the 2G spectrum scam. One of the DMKs main men, A Raja, who was Telecom Minister has been arrested for siring the scam, which saw valuable frequency being given at throwaway prices to private companies. A 214-crore kickback from the scam was allegedly routed to a TV station in Chennai that's owned largely by Mr Karunanidhi's wife, and his daughter Kanimozhi, who is an MP and a close associate of Mr Raja's. The CBI, in charge of investigating the scam, has raided the homes and offices of people closely associated with Kanimozhi, and she is expected to be questioned in the next few weeks by the CBI. The DMK is getting increasingly uncomfortable with the inquiry and what it might throw up. The Congress, on the other hand, is suggested to be wary of asking for votes with a political partner whose senior members seem tarnished by corruption.
For NDTV Updates,
So can this marriage be saved?
The political equivalent of a couples counselling session was held in Delhi this afternoon with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee meeting with the senior DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran. Also present: The Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad who is in charge of Tamil Nadu.
Earlier this morning, the parties seemed headed for divorce court with the DMK's ministers arriving in Delhi to submit their resignations to the Prime Minister.
Mr Mukherjee sent a sort of "Are you really sure?" message to the DMK. On record, the DMK bristled. TR Baalu said Mr Mukherjee's message had been passed on to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. "As of now, there is no reconsideration by the DMK," he said. When asked if the split was likely to be reverse engineered, he said, "I am not a fortune teller."
But the meeting with Mr Mukherjee suggested a reconciliation is what both parties want, despite the bluster.
The DMK has six ministers and 18 MPs, allowing it to be an influential member of the coalition government at the Centre.
What has turned the allies into foes is the negotiation over what sort of role the Congress will play - first in the Tamil Nadu elections, and then in the government if the DMK comes to power. Currently, the DMK government is supported "from outside" by the Congress - the latter is not part of the government. Elections in Tamil Nadu are scheduled for April 13. The Congress wants 63 seats, as opposed to the 60 that the DMK is prepared to part with. Also, the Congress has shortlisted some constituencies which have to be included in its share. That's not acceptable to the DMK.
So the regional party insists its six ministers will meet the Prime Minister today to formalise the divorce with their resignations. (Read: What upset the DMK)
The split was first announced by the DMK on Saturday which apparently expected the Congress to respond with some serious TLC. The Congress instead chose to keep its distance, possibly emboldened by the fact that the Samajwadi Party has indicated it could replace the DMK in the coalition. On Sunday, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav claimed the UPA government will not fall - with his 22 MPs, that's not an empty promise.
In the 543-seat Lok Sabha, the half-way mark is 272. The Congress has 207 seats. Allies like the DMK push the UPA's tally to 274 - just two more than that critical half-way mark.
The DMK's 18 seats push the government into a minority. But Mulayam's 22 compensate nicely.
Divorce over 2G scam?
While the Congress and the DMK argue publicly over seats, sources say the real cause for the break-up is the DMK's entanglement with the 2G spectrum scam. One of the DMKs main men, A Raja, who was Telecom Minister has been arrested for siring the scam, which saw valuable frequency being given at throwaway prices to private companies. A 214-crore kickback from the scam was allegedly routed to a TV station in Chennai that's owned largely by Mr Karunanidhi's wife, and his daughter Kanimozhi, who is an MP and a close associate of Mr Raja's. The CBI, in charge of investigating the scam, has raided the homes and offices of people closely associated with Kanimozhi, and she is expected to be questioned in the next few weeks by the CBI. The DMK is getting increasingly uncomfortable with the inquiry and what it might throw up. The Congress, on the other hand, is suggested to be wary of asking for votes with a political partner whose senior members seem tarnished by corruption.
For NDTV Updates,
DMK's six ministers in UPA government
The DMK has decided to withdraw its ministers from the Union Cabinet as Congress and the DMK could not agree on seat sharing. The DMK will now only extend issue-based support to the UPA government.
Now, the UPA government's strength will come down significantly with the DMK pulling out its 18 MPs from the ruling coalition.
The DMK has six ministers in the Union Cabinet. They are
* Dayanidhi Maran, Textiles
* MK Alagiri, Chemicals and Fertlisers
* SS Palanimanickam, Minister of State, Finance
* D Napoleon, Minister of State, Social Justice and Empowerment
* S Jagathrakshakan, Minister of State, Information and Broadcasting
* S Gandhiselvan, Minister of State, Health and Family Welfare
Now, the UPA government's strength will come down significantly with the DMK pulling out its 18 MPs from the ruling coalition.
The DMK has six ministers in the Union Cabinet. They are
* Dayanidhi Maran, Textiles
* MK Alagiri, Chemicals and Fertlisers
* SS Palanimanickam, Minister of State, Finance
* D Napoleon, Minister of State, Social Justice and Empowerment
* S Jagathrakshakan, Minister of State, Information and Broadcasting
* S Gandhiselvan, Minister of State, Health and Family Welfare
What upset the DMK
Just a month ahead of Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, the DMK has decided to withdraw its ministers from the Union Cabinet as Congress and the DMK could not agree on seat sharing. The DMK will now only extend issue-based support to the UPA government.
Following are the reasons over which the DMK is upset
* Raja sacked over 2G scam
* CBI raids at Karunanidhi's wife's TV channel
* Threat of Kanimozhi being questioned on 2G scam
* Congress' tough stand on seat-sharing in Tamil Nadu polls
For NDTV Updates
Following are the reasons over which the DMK is upset
* Raja sacked over 2G scam
* CBI raids at Karunanidhi's wife's TV channel
* Threat of Kanimozhi being questioned on 2G scam
* Congress' tough stand on seat-sharing in Tamil Nadu polls
For NDTV Updates
Saturday, March 5, 2011
DMK-Cong alliance to collapse?
The seven-year-old DMK-Congress alliance was on the brink of collapse on the issue of seat-sharing for the Assembly polls tonight with party chief M Karunanidhi saying the party's high level committee would take a 'proper decision' on the issue tomorrow.
In a statement here, he asked whether it was proper for Congress, which had agreed for 60 seats earlier, to now demand 63 seats over telephone.
The Congress stand that it would decide on the constituencies to be contested was highly improper, he said in a statement.
The DMK and the Congress have held three rounds of discussions on seat-sharing for the April 13 Assembly elections, but no headway could be made due to differences between the two parties.
Speculation was rife that the deal would be signed today.
In a statement here, he asked whether it was proper for Congress, which had agreed for 60 seats earlier, to now demand 63 seats over telephone.
The Congress stand that it would decide on the constituencies to be contested was highly improper, he said in a statement.
The DMK and the Congress have held three rounds of discussions on seat-sharing for the April 13 Assembly elections, but no headway could be made due to differences between the two parties.
Speculation was rife that the deal would be signed today.
DMK upset with Congress' growing demand
The Congress-DMK seat sharing talks plunged into a crisis on Friday night after the DMK expressed displeasure over the constantly rising demands of the Congress.
“After having agreed to 60 seats, is it proper on the part of the Congress to demand 63 seats now and, on top of that, say that it would contest the elections in the constituencies of its choice?,” DMK president M. Karunanidhi asked in a statement issued past midnight.
Upset with the Congress stand, he said an appropriate decision would be taken on Saturday by the DMK's high-level action committee.
Mr. Karunanidhi said that going by the presence of several parties, the DMK was initially ready to offer 51 seats. As the talks progressed, the demand went up to 53, 55, 58 and, ultimately, it was finalised at 60 in the presence of AICC leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. “He said he would apprise the high command and confirm the final number. However, not only did he not turn up for signing the deal, but also demanded 63 seats tonight over telephone, and that the Congress itself would choose all its constituencies,” he said.
“After having agreed to 60 seats, is it proper on the part of the Congress to demand 63 seats now and, on top of that, say that it would contest the elections in the constituencies of its choice?,” DMK president M. Karunanidhi asked in a statement issued past midnight.
Upset with the Congress stand, he said an appropriate decision would be taken on Saturday by the DMK's high-level action committee.
Mr. Karunanidhi said that going by the presence of several parties, the DMK was initially ready to offer 51 seats. As the talks progressed, the demand went up to 53, 55, 58 and, ultimately, it was finalised at 60 in the presence of AICC leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. “He said he would apprise the high command and confirm the final number. However, not only did he not turn up for signing the deal, but also demanded 63 seats tonight over telephone, and that the Congress itself would choose all its constituencies,” he said.
DMDK gets 41 seats in poll pact with AIADMK
The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) led by actor Vijayakant will contest 41 seats as part of the AIADMK alliance in the Assembly elections on April 13.
The number of seats allotted to the DMDK was finalised after a meeting between AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa and DMDK president Vijayakant at the former's Poes Garden residence on Friday night.
While Mr. Vijayakant, who was accompanied his party presidium chairman Panruti S. Ramachandran and youth wing secretary L. K. Sudheesh, left without speaking to the media, a brief statement from Ms. Jayalalithaa's residence disclosed the seat-sharing agreement.
“The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam entered into a seat-sharing agreement with the DMDK and the party has been allotted 41 seats,” the statement said.
Mr. Vijayakant, who came to Ms. Jayalalithaa's residence around 9.25 p.m, had a nearly half-an-hour meeting with her.
The Left parties and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), the other major parties in the AIADMK front, are likely to be invited for seat-sharing talks in the next few days.
Left leaders said they were told that a pact would be sealed with them on Friday, but it did not materialise as negotiations with DMDK could be completed only in the evening.
This is the first time that the DMDK, set up in 2005 by the veteran Tamil actor, is entering into an electoral alliance. Contesting alone, the party had polled a little over eight per cent in the 2006 Assembly elections and over 10 per cent in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
The number of seats allotted to the DMDK was finalised after a meeting between AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa and DMDK president Vijayakant at the former's Poes Garden residence on Friday night.
While Mr. Vijayakant, who was accompanied his party presidium chairman Panruti S. Ramachandran and youth wing secretary L. K. Sudheesh, left without speaking to the media, a brief statement from Ms. Jayalalithaa's residence disclosed the seat-sharing agreement.
“The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam entered into a seat-sharing agreement with the DMDK and the party has been allotted 41 seats,” the statement said.
Mr. Vijayakant, who came to Ms. Jayalalithaa's residence around 9.25 p.m, had a nearly half-an-hour meeting with her.
The Left parties and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), the other major parties in the AIADMK front, are likely to be invited for seat-sharing talks in the next few days.
Left leaders said they were told that a pact would be sealed with them on Friday, but it did not materialise as negotiations with DMDK could be completed only in the evening.
This is the first time that the DMDK, set up in 2005 by the veteran Tamil actor, is entering into an electoral alliance. Contesting alone, the party had polled a little over eight per cent in the 2006 Assembly elections and over 10 per cent in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Congress-DMK talks remain inconclusive
A high-level round of intense negotiations failed to break the deadlock in seat-sharing talks between the Congress and DMK on Wednesday night. While the Congress, which began with the demand for 65 seats, is willing to settle for 62, the DMK does not want to go beyond 55 seats, sources said.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, AICC leader in charge of party affairs in Tamil Nadu, flew down to hold parleys with DMK president M Karunanidhi at the DMK headquarters, but the session was inconclusive. “The talks will continue tomorrow,” Mr. Karunanidhi told reporters late in the night.
Mr. Azad, who was expected to seal a pact as the emissary of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, left after more than two hours of discussions with the DMK president.
Earlier rounds of negotiations between a five-member Congress panel and the DMK's election committee failed to make much progress on seat-sharing.
The parties are also discussing the question of sharing power.
After Mr. Azad left, the Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam (KMK) was allotted seven seats in the DMK-led alliance.
Source: Hindu
Ghulam Nabi Azad, AICC leader in charge of party affairs in Tamil Nadu, flew down to hold parleys with DMK president M Karunanidhi at the DMK headquarters, but the session was inconclusive. “The talks will continue tomorrow,” Mr. Karunanidhi told reporters late in the night.
Mr. Azad, who was expected to seal a pact as the emissary of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, left after more than two hours of discussions with the DMK president.
Earlier rounds of negotiations between a five-member Congress panel and the DMK's election committee failed to make much progress on seat-sharing.
The parties are also discussing the question of sharing power.
After Mr. Azad left, the Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam (KMK) was allotted seven seats in the DMK-led alliance.
Source: Hindu
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