CHENNAI: After days of negotiations, the CPI settled for five seats, one less than the number of seats it contested in the 2021 Assembly elections, as a part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) on Wednesday.
However, the state committee of CPM, the other Left ally of the DMK, has decided not to accept anything less than the six seats that the party had contested in 2021. The party said it may even go it alone if the seat count goes below six.
The CPM committee, which met on Wednesday, discussed the DMK’s offer of five seats. A member, speaking on anonymity, said that none of the state committee members were in favour of accepting five seats.
The committee also discussed the probability of contesting alone. “If our demand is not met, the committee has decided not to accept any seats from the DMK and to contest on its own in a limited number of constituencies where its winnability is high,” a committee member told TNIE. The member also referred to the 1998 Lok Sabha elections when the party contested in two seats and supported the DMK-led alliance in the remaining 37 seats.
The member said it was not new for the party to contest in such a manner and support the alliance elsewhere. CPM, which originally demanded seat in two digits, later lowered its demand to seven seats.
Earlier on Wednesday, DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin and CPI state secretary M Veerapandiyan signed the seat-sharing agreement at the DMK headquarters.
CM said DMK too will contest in fewer seats: Veerapandiyan
However, DMK was initially willing to allot only four. DMK had conveyed to CPI that they could not offer more seats as there are more parties in the alliance now, including DMDK and MNM, compared to 2021.
After signing the agreement, Veerapandiyan told the media that they agreed on the number after long negotiations and understanding DMK’s situation.
“The CM himself said that the DMK has decided to contest in fewer seats than what it did in 2021. Hence, we have also decided to accept it,” Veerapandiyan said.
CPI sources, however, said that many district secretaries quickly contacted state leaders to express their disappointment. A state committee member said calls poured in, and some leaders found it hard to respond to the queries. Veerapandiyan said that the party had accepted the seats “with a heavy heart” to keep the alliance intact, recognising the strength of the opponents, and keeping in mind the importance of ensuring that democratic voices are not weakened in the Assembly. “But it is very difficult to explain this to our comrades,” he added.
The issue also drew reactions even from some DMK supporters on social media. A few of them compared the fewer seats for CPI with the allocation of a Rajya Sabha seat to the DMDK, which recently joined the alliance.
Some pointed out that the Communist parties have a strong and loyal voter base. They added that giving proper importance to such cadres could help the DMK improve its chances. CPI leaders, however, said if the party is able to increase its number of MLAs from the present two to five, the current disappointment may vanish. “Till then, it will remain a concern,” a leader said.