NEW DELHI: DMK parliamentary party head K Kanimozhi met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at his residence for a discussion Wednesday, where Congress urged the southern partner to start the already delayed discussions on seat-sharing for the coming Tamil Nadu elections.The visuals of Kanimozhi visiting Rahul settled the uncertainty triggered by public chatter on the alliance. During a meeting this month, the Congress brass of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had reportedly conveyed to the TN leaders that alliance with DMK was in place and urged them to stop public comments on the issue.According to sources, the talks between Kanimozhi and Rahul were pleasant in which the DMK expressed its respect for Congress. However, Rahul is learnt to have said that the DMK should start talks on seat-sharing with the committee formed by Congress president Kharge.The AICC in-charge of Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar on Tuesday said he was waiting for the last two months for the DMK to initiate discussions with the Congress panel, an exasperation shared by the party in general.It is learnt that Congress has presented the DMK with a list of 41 seats, but the lead TN partner is reluctant to concede the demand. Congress had sought 41 seats in 2021 polls but was given to contest only 25.While the stress was on initiating the seat-sharing talks, sources said no numbers were discussed between the Gandhi scion and the DMK emissary.Though staunch allies since 2004, the Congress and DMK ties have witnessed rumblings in recent months, with a section of state Congress seeking more seats and a share in future govt. Some have even touted the newbie TVK of movie star Vijay as an option.But DMK is averse to sharing power, having run a single-party govt in the state despite leading a rainbow alliance of multiple outfits.However, the AICC panel is still likely to broach the demand for power-sharing when it discusses seats with the DMK.The TN polls are set to be an exciting contest, with AIADMK, reportedly under pressure from BJP, agreeing to include its breakaway factions in a grand alliance that includes the BJP. The other political pole is TVK that has created a buzz with the star power of Vijay drawing large crowds. While the DMK has been confident of its prospects after its sweep of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the emergence of TVK has raised concerns in some quarters.
