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DMK allots BJP 6 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu today reached a seat-sharing agreement with the Bharatiya Janata Party and allotted six seats to it, even as the stalemate over distributing seats to the Marumalarchi DMK continued.

Briefing reporters after an hour's talks with BJP politicians, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister P Rangarajan Kumaramangalam, state unit president K N Lakshmanan and general secretary L Ganesan at Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters in Madras, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said the BJP had been allotted The Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli, Nagercoil, Sivaganga and Tenkasi (SC) seats.

Replying to a question, Karunanidhi said the MDMK had been offered five Lok Sabha seats and the Natham assembly seat for which a by-election is to be held along with the parliamentary poll. "The ball is in the MDMK's court. Our hope is that there will be a positive response," he added.

Karunanidhi made it clear that the MDMK could not be given more than five Lok Sabha seats. "If we give more seats, the DMK will be left with less seats to contest than last time," he added.

The DMK has already allotted nine seats to the Pattali Makkal Katchi and the Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress, the other constituents of the DMK-led front.

MDMK general secretary V Gopalasamy alias Vaiko said the decision arrived at the party district secretaries' meeting this morning had been conveyed to the DMK and the BJP. Talks are continuing with both parties.

He declined to say whether the DMK's offer is acceptable to the MDMK.

UNI

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