The first round of seat-sharing talks between allies Congress and DMK was inconclusive, with the two sides failing to reach an agreement on the number of seats to be allotted to each.
AICC general secretaries Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mukul Wasnik, accompanied by TNCC president EVKS Elangovan, met DMK chief M Karunanidhi and other party leaders on Friday.
Sources said the Congress asked for 63 seats allotted to it for the 2011 elections but the DMK is understood to have turned down the proposal and offered just 25 seats, pointing out that the Congress is a diminished party in the state after Vasan floated the Tamil Maanila Congress.
After the hour-long meeting, which was held at Karunanidhi’s Gopalapuram residence, Azad told reporters that they didn’t discuss numbers. “Our basic purpose was to discuss the election strategy, and also to find as to how many other groups are joining and how many have already joined,” he said. In response to a question on seat sharing, he said, “We have not firmed up numbers and we have given some time for DMK also.” He added that the they would “discuss among ourselves, with our leadership, the PCC chief and other leaders” and that seat sharing could be decided in subsequent talks.
DMK’s M K Stalin, women’s wing secretary Kanimozhi and senior leaders Duraimurugan and E V Velu, and and Congress Legislature Party leader Gopinath also participated in the meeting.
Later, Stalin told reporters that the talks between the Congress leaders and Karunanidhi were “cordial.”
“They have expressed their opinion, similarly, our party chief Kalaignar [Karunanidhi] has expressed his views and the discussion was cordial,” he said.