The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) led by Congress in the Union territory of Puducherry finalised the seat-sharing pact for the assembly polls. As per the deal signed at the DMK headquarters in Chennai, Congress will contest in 15 seats, DMK in 13 seats and one seat each goes to CPI and VCK. It is a huge climb down for Congress, which had contested 21 seats and won 15 of them in the last polls held in 2016. In the rival National Democratic Alliance (NDA) camp, All India NR Congress (AINRC), which leads the front, is contesting from 16 seats and the balance 14 seats are being shared by BJP and AIADMK. AINRC and BJP signed the pact earlier. However, the AIADMK did not sign the agreement and expressed reservations over the BJP retaining 10 seats for itself and giving only four to the AIADMK. The AIADMK has demanded seven seats.
DMK-AIADMK straight fight in over 100 seats
DMK president M K Stalin will seek a third term from Kolathur constituency while his son Udhayanidhi is set to make his electoral debut as the party released its list of 173 candidates for the April 6 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. As per the list released by Stalin, nearly half of the 173 nominees are sitting MLAs and the DMK would be locked in direct contest with arch-rival AIADMK in over 100 seats. Udhayanidhi will fight from the Chepauk-Triplicane constituency, represented by his grandfather, the late M Karunanidhi. It was represented in the Assembly by the late J Anbazhagan of the DMK who succumbed to Covid-19 last year.
