Congress announces 8-member panel to hold seat-sharing talks with DMK

Chennai, Mar 21: Congress has announced an eight-member committee led by its state chief EVKS Elangovan to hold seat-sharing discussions with ally DMK for the May 16 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.

In a communication sent to Elangovan dated March 20, and released today by the TNCC, AICC General Secretary Mukul Wasnik said the party had approved the committee whose other members include two former state Presidents--KV Thangkabalu and M Krishnasamy.

Thangkabalu had resigned as TNCC chief following the party's poor show in the 2011 Assembly elections when it had faced the polls as part of a DMK-led alliance. Congress has five MLAs in the 234-member house.

The other members of the committee "approved to undertake the exercise of identifying seats" and "hold negotiations" are CLP Leader K Gopinath, former legislator D Yasoda and senior leaders S Thirunavukkarasar, Dhanushkodi Adithan and APCV Shanmugam, Wasnik said.

After parting ways in 2013 over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, DMK and Congress have again joined hands to face the May 16 polls, with senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad formalising ties with DMK President M Karunanidhi last month.

The DMK had already announced a four-member delegation led by its Treasurer MK Stalin to hold seat-sharing talks with alliance parties.

PTI