Chennai, 04 March (H.S.):In a key political development ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the Congress leadership has empowered senior party leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram to conclude the party’s seat-sharing negotiations with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

The decision comes after deliberations within the Congress high command as the party seeks to put an end to weeks of discussions over constituency allocation with its principal ally in the State. The leadership believes that a quick resolution will help both parties shift their focus to campaign planning and organisational mobilisation.

Sources in the party said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has given the go-ahead for the agreement and communicated his approval to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Following this, Mr. Kharge asked Mr. Chidambaram to hold the final round of talks with the DMK leadership and complete the seat-sharing arrangement.

Mr. Chidambaram, a veteran Congress leader from Tamil Nadu with deep political experience in the State, is expected to play a crucial role in bridging the remaining gaps between the two parties and ensuring a smooth conclusion to the negotiations.

According to sources familiar with the talks, the DMK has offered the Congress 27 Assembly constituencies as part of the alliance formula. However, discussions are reportedly underway to slightly increase the number, with the possibility of the Congress securing 28 seats in the final arrangement.

Apart from the Assembly constituencies, the Congress is also likely to receive one Rajya Sabha seat under the broader political understanding between the two parties. The Rajya Sabha berth is expected to form part of the compromise formula aimed at balancing the interests of both allies.

Seat-sharing negotiations between the two parties had stretched over several rounds of discussions, with the Congress initially pressing for a higher number of seats. The prolonged talks had sparked speculation in political circles about friction within the alliance.

Party insiders, however, say both the DMK and the Congress remain committed to contesting the election together as part of the ruling coalition in Tamil Nadu.

With the Congress high command now stepping in to expedite the process, political observers expect the alliance formula to be announced soon, allowing the two parties to move ahead with candidate selection and coordinated election campaigning across the State.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman