Chennai, February 23 (NationPress) - Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister and DMK leader M.K. Stalin engaged in discussions with prominent Congress figure K.C. Venugopal on Sunday, marking the commencement of pivotal seat-sharing negotiations between the two parties. This meeting took place at the Chief Minister’s residence in Chennai and signals an escalation in talks regarding seat allocation and alliance coordination in light of the upcoming Assembly elections.

Venugopal, who serves as the All India Congress Committee (Organisation) general secretary, was joined by other senior Congress officials, including T.S. Singh Deo, the chairman of the Tamil Nadu Congress screening committee, as per reports.

The primary goal of this meeting was to enhance collaboration among alliance members before formal negotiations commence regarding seat distribution.

Designated committees from both DMK and Congress are anticipated to conduct the official seat-sharing discussions.

This meeting is particularly significant as Congress is likely to demand a greater number of seats than during the last Assembly elections, where they contested within the DMK-led coalition.

Additionally, broader issues related to the alliance, such as political coordination and electoral strategies, were also reportedly on the agenda.

Earlier that day, the DMK began seat-sharing discussions with its partners by holding initial talks with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) at the party headquarters.

These ongoing discussions are crucial for determining the structure of the alliance and the allocation of seats for the forthcoming elections in Tamil Nadu.

The meeting is centered around the seat-sharing arrangements between DMK and Congress as part of the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) led by DMK in the state.

The Congress party had formed a five-member committee last November, headed by Girish Chodankar, to negotiate terms with its alliance partner.

For months, the Congress has been urging the DMK to establish its own negotiation committee to initiate discussions formally.

In response, DMK general secretary Duraimurugan recently announced the establishment of a seven-member seat-sharing committee, led by party treasurer and former Union Minister T.R. Baalu, MP, to conduct discussions with alliance partners.

This committee has already begun talks, starting with the IUML. A five-member delegation from IUML, led by Kader Mohideen, met the DMK panel earlier on Sunday for preliminary discussions concerning seat allocation.

During the meeting with Stalin, Congress is expected to advocate for a more substantial share of seats than its previous allocation in the 2021 Assembly elections, where it contested 25 seats as part of the DMK-led coalition and secured wins in 18 constituencies.

Moreover, sources indicate that Venugopal may present a prioritized list of constituencies to Stalin during the ongoing negotiations.

Following this meeting, additional discussions are anticipated between the DMK's seat-sharing committee and the Congress negotiation panel to finalize the arrangements.

Although earlier indications suggested that formal alliance talks would commence from February 22, Sunday’s meeting implies that negotiations have entered a critical stage.

The results of these discussions are expected to significantly influence the final shape of the DMK-led alliance ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.