Its seat-sharing panel meets CPI(M), CPI and MMK leaders

The DMK on Thursday began seat-sharing talks with its other alliance partners for the Lok Sabha polls, a day after sealing a pact with the Congress. As many as six parties are negotiating with the DMK.

One seat each

While the DMK is learnt to be planning to offer one seat each to these parties, the potential allies, especially the two Left parties, are unlikely to settle for such an arrangement.

On Thursday, leaders of the CPI(M), CPI and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) held talks with the seat-sharing committee formed by the DMK to negotiate with potential allies.

The DMK was represented by party treasurer Duraimurugan, former ministers K. Ponmudi and E.V. Velu and organisation secretary Alandur R.S. Bharathi.

“We had a preliminary round of talks with the DMK team and the number of seats did not crop up,” said CPI(M) State secretary K. Balakrishnan. The CPI(M) is keen on the Kanniyakumari seat.

The CPI(M) is keen on contesting from the Kanniyakumari constituency won by its candidate A.V. Bellarmine in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress has included the seat in its choice of seats.

The CPI delegation included State secretary R. Mutharasan, and former MLAs G. Palanisami and C. Subbarayan.

“We had a first round meeting,” said MMK leader M.H. Jawahirullah. The party expressed the desire to contest in constituencies like Vellore and Ramanathapuram where there is a substantial Muslim population. “The DMK did not place any condition on us to contest on its ‘Rising Sun’ symbol,” the MMK leader clarified.

Another ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), will meet the DMK team on Friday. The party too is keen on contesting from the Ramanathapuram constituency. Even though the IUML had in the past contested on the DMK’s ‘Rising Sun’ symbol, its national president K.M. Kader Mohideen said this time around it would contest on its official symbol, the ‘Ladder’.

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led by Vaiko has been invited for talks on Friday and the party has constituted a five-member committee for the meeting. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi will also take part in the talks on Friday.

Meanwhile, former IAS officer M.G. Devasahayam has sent a letter to CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury and Congress president Rahul Gandhi requesting them to field Thomas Franco, former president, All India State Bank Officers Federation, as a candidate against the BJP in Kanniyakumari. “It is imperative that a public-spirited professional who has worked in certain critical sectors of the economy and rendered yeoman service to the nation and its people be brought into the House,” Mr. Devasahayam argued in a proposal sent on behalf of ‘Let’s Rebuild Kanniyakumari’, a voluntary group.