T.N. Assembly election: Lack of co-ordination, old practices posing challenges to DMK alliance, feel Congress leaders

With the DMK yet to constitute a committee to discuss and finalise seat sharing with its allies for the upcoming Assembly election, members of the Congress’ negotiation committee for Tamil Nadu will meet party senior leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday (February 10, 2026) to apprise him of the latest developments.

When DMK Parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, recently met Mr. Gandhi in New Delhi to iron out differences, he had reportedly asked why the DMK had not yet constituted a committee despite the Congress’ delegation meeting DMK president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on December 3, 2025. Highly placed Congress sources in New Delhi and Tamil Nadu said the leadership was miffed with the DMK’s dithering attitude.

“They are still stuck in the old ways of doing politics. They want to start the negotiations only after the notification of the election. In fact, I have been telling the DMK leadership to start meeting alliance partners, even if they don’t want to start negotiating immediately,” said the leader involved in the seat sharing exercise. “They want to delay it and push allies into making a decision at the last minute,” he added.

DMK’s stance

However, DMK sources citing the “cordial meeting” between Mr. Gandhi and Ms. Kanimozhi, said the Congress would continue to remain in the alliance. Mr. Stalin had recently informed the Left party leaders that he hoped the Congress would remain in the alliance.

On the Congress’ demand for the formation of a seat-sharing committee, a source close to the DMK’s first family insisted that traditionally these panels had been constituted after the Model Code of Conduct took effect. A DMK leader contended that the Congress formed its committee early primarily to dispel rumours that it might align with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

Meanwhile, the DMK and the State government remain engaged in organising conferences and inaugurating government projects across Tamil Nadu, with the Chief Minister currently on an extensive tour of the State. The government is also gearing up for the presentation of the interim Budget this month.

In a related development, a senior Congress leader alleged there is “severe lack of coordination” among the DMK-led alliance, which only compounded issues.

He was referring to the joint announcement by the Left parties, comprising CPI, CPI(M), CPI(M-L), and the VCK, that they would fully support the nationwide strike called on by Central trade unions, workers federations, and farmers union on February 12. He said such a decision to support the protest sans the DMK and the Congress was a huge embarrassment to the alliance.

“On the one hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (AIADMK leader), Anbumani (PMK), G.K. Vasan (TMC), and others are united on the same stage, presenting a united opposition to INDIA bloc, while we are yet get all leaders on the same stage. It doesn’t augur well for the alliance,” he said.

When contacted about this, D. Ravikumar, VCK general secretary, said: “The VCK has been a part of such a call for action by Left parties nationally. This is one such instance. Left parties have made such calls without other allies of the INDIA bloc.”