NEW DELHI ,5 March 2026 : Ending days of suspense and brinkmanship, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Indian National Congress are set to formally seal their seat-sharing deal Thursday evening.
According to sources, the Congress is likely to get 28 or 29 Assembly seats – an increase from the 25 it contested in 2021 – along with one Rajya Sabha seat. The breakthrough comes a day after senior Congress leader P Chidambaram held one-on-one talks with DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin.
A Congress MP confirmed this, saying party president Mallikarjun Kharge has given green light to continue the alliance.
The latest development marks a climbdown from the Congress’ initial demand for 34 seats and at least 30 as a minimum compromise formula. A section of state leaders had even publicly pushed for a greater share in power, triggering speculation of a possible rupture, TACITLY leveraging on actor Vijay’s TVK’s offer for a share in power.
Among those who had earlier demanded more seats and a share in power was Congress MP Manickam Tagore. In a post on X on Wednesday, he struck a conciliatory note: “Individuals may have differences, but the party is bigger than any one of us. When leadership decides, we accept it with discipline – because unity is our greatest strength.”
Pictures credit social media
