Congress forms panel to hold seat-sharing talks with DMK in TN

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has constituted a 5-member committee to hold seat-sharing parleys with DMK for the 2026 Assembly election, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K Selvaperunthagai said on Saturday. The Congress team tasked to hold talks with the ruling DMK will be led by party in-charge for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Girish Chodankar, the TNCC top leader said. Selvaperunthagai and legislature party leader S Rajeshkumar will be part of the panel.
The Congress veteran said he believed that this announcement would bring to an end some claims regarding the alliance. Chidambaram's statement assumes significance as claims had been made on and off that the Congress party may dump the DMK and join hands with the actor-politician Vijay-led Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to face the 2026 Assembly polls. Apparently, Chidambaram has rejected such conjectures over his party joining hands with TVK.
Congress and DMK have fought every election since 2004 except the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, but the seats contested by the national party in the assembly elections have been on the decline. From 48 in 2006, the party got 63 seats in 2011 but this was reduced to 41 in 2016 and further to 25 in 2021, the lowest number the Congress has contested so far. Congress currently has 17 MLAs and many leaders want the party’s strength in the Assembly to increase by contesting more seats in the 2026 assembly elections.