In seat sharing deal with DMK, Congress gets 28 seats, one RS birth

New Delhi: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its key ally, the Indian National Congress, have formally signed a seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, resolving weeks of negotiations and strengthening the ruling INDIA bloc alliance.

Under the pact, signed today at the DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam, the Congress will contest 28 Assembly constituencies out of the 234-member house. The party has also been allotted one Rajya Sabha berth from Tamil Nadu.

The agreement was inked by DMK president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai.

Speaking to reporters immediately after the signing, a visibly satisfied Selvaperunthagai said, “We are satisfied and happy over the seat-sharing deal with DMK. We are happy and have a sense of fulfilment.”

This represents a modest increase of three seats for the Congress compared to the 25 seats it contested in the 2021 Assembly elections, when the DMK-Congress alliance swept to power.

The deal comes after intense backchannel talks. The Congress had initially pushed for a higher number of seats, while the DMK maintained a cautious approach amid demands from multiple alliance partners.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram played a pivotal role in bridging differences through meetings with Stalin.

The final pact also received the nod from the Congress high command, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.