CHENNAI: All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar on Sunday said the DMK had offered the Congress 25 seats in the upcoming Assembly election, which was not acceptable to the grand old party. He was speaking to a news agency in Delhi about the recent seat-sharing negotiations held with the DMK.
However, he described the hour-long meeting between the committees of the two parties as positive and expressed hope that the Congress’s wish list submitted to the DMK would be accepted.
When asked whether the Congress had sought additional Rajya Sabha seats and ministerial berths, Chodankar said, “Our priority is the Assembly election so that we have sufficient numbers in the House to elect our own MP to the Rajya Sabha.”
Sources had told TNIE that the Congress’s negotiation committee has sought at least 34 seats.
“We are waiting for their (DMK) call. We have given our proposal in terms of the number of seats and other matters,” Chodankar said.
When asked about Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam, Chodankar maintained that it is a new party and should not be underestimated.
“TVK is getting traction among youngsters. They are also recognising the strength of the Congress and our leader, Rahul Gandhi in Tamil Nadu,” he said. On the possibility of an alliance with TVK, he said, “At present, talks are going on with the DMK, which is our long-time ally. We have submitted our expectations for this election, and rebuilding the Congress in Tamil Nadu is on the right track.”