CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu unit of the CPM held over five hours of discussions on Saturday but was yet to take a final call on continuing in the DMK-led alliance, as the deadlock over seat-sharing persists.
The meeting, held at the party headquarters in Chennai, was attended by CPM general secretary M A Baby.
According to sources, the 15-member state executive committee met in the morning to discuss the party’s next move. This was followed by a state committee meeting, attended by around 80 members, where leaders weighed the options of accepting the DMK’s offer or exploring alternatives, including contesting alone.
Sources said that the DMK leadership had informally reached out to Baby to help resolve the issue. While he did not give any assurance, citing that the state committee has the final say on alliance matters, he attended the meeting to observe the discussions.
During the deliberations, leaders examined the pros and cons of accepting the DMK’s reported offer of five seats. The party is said to have conveyed that it may agree to the proposal if it is allotted at least one seat in Chennai and another in neighbouring districts such as Tiruvallur or Chengalpattu.
In this context, the CPM has identified constituencies, including Perambur, Tiruvottiyur, Velachery, Virugambakkam, Pallavaram and Maduravoyal, as preferred options. Sources added that the party has a presence in some of these areas.
As of 9 pm on Saturday, no final decision had been reached. Party sources said discussions would continue, with further consultations likely. “If we lose even one seat, we will have to wait another five years to improve our strength,” a source said. It may be recalled that the CPM had contested six seats in the 2021 Assembly election as part of the DMK-led alliance.