TN:DMK to contest 164 seats in Assembly polls . leaves 70 for allies

Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK chief MK Stalin on Saturday released the first list of candidates, naming O Panneerselvam from Bodinayakkanur seat and former minister Senthil Balaji from Coimbatore South. The DMK will contest 164 seats in the 234-Tamil Nadu assembly. In the party's list, Stalin has retained most of his ministers, MLAs and senior leaders. Congress will contest 28 seats in the state, while DMDK has been allotted 10 seats, VCK 8, and both CPI and CPM getting five seats each. Chief minister Stalin has been renominated from his Kolathur seat, while his son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi will contest from Chepauk-Triplicane.
Addressing the media, Stalin dismissed concerns over any delay in finalising the alliance, stating that the time taken was necessary to hold "patient discussions" with partners to ensure a balanced agreement.In the Congress quota, Velachery and Erode East return to the party, while Udhagamandalam (Ooty) is expected to witness a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP.
Among allies, the Left parties have secured strategically relevant seats: CPI will contest in Thiruppur (North) and Bavanisagar, while CPI(M) will field candidates in Palani and Thiruvottriyur. VCK has been allotted constituencies such as Kattumannarkovil and Thirupporur, and MDMK will contest seats including Madurai South and Sirkazhi. The DMDK will focus on pockets like Virudhunagar, Salem West, and Thiruthani.
The DMK-led alliance will be up against the NDA bloc led by the AIADMK in the state, who announced its seat-sharing pact just days ago.