CHENNAI: Just days after the DMDK founder Vijaykant announced his decision to go solo in the Assembly elections, the DMK on Saturday expedited the poll process by forming a four-member panel for talks on seat-sharing with alliance parties.
DMK is the first party to set up a panel for seat-sharing talks for the Assembly polls. It was formed after a meeting chaired by the party president M Karunanidhi. Sources said that at the meeting, final touches were given to the election manifesto, which is likely to be released in a week.
The panel for seat-sharing will have senior DMK leaders - MK Stalin, treasurer, Durai Murugan, principal secretary, I Periyasamy, deputy general secretary and RS Bharathi, organising secretary.
A few days ago, the party had completed interviewing 4,433 aspirants who wanted party tickets to fight the polls.
Meanwhile, the TNCC president EVKS Elangovan, after returning from Delhi, told media that Congress would soon form a panel for seat-sharing talks with the DMK. The IUML leader Khader Mohideen who met Karunanidhi twice in the past two months, demanded 12 seats for Muslim candidates in the DMK's list.
On March 12, Stalin said the DMDK founder Vijaykant's decision to go it alone would not affect the DMK prospects. Already, the DMK had Congress and IUML in its camp. The Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi too, on Saturday reiterated this point and said the DMK poll manifesto would be released soon.
Puthiya Thamizhagam, which has been expressing solidarity with the DMK, is yet to announce its official stand. Meanwhile, the DMK is trying to rope in some more smaller parties to face the polls.