Congress Gains Leverage: The Power Play with DMK and TVK

The Congress Party secured more seats in an alliance with the ruling DMK, leveraging the presence of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Accusations flew as K A Sengottaiyan from TVK suggested Congress used threats of moving allegiance. TVK's growing influence, especially in rural areas, also came into focus.

On Thursday, K A Sengottaiyan, Chief Co-ordinator of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), accused the Congress party of securing more seats in the upcoming Assembly elections by using TVK as a political leverage. According to Sengottaiyan, Congress threatened to shift allegiances to increase their seat count in a new deal with the ruling DMK.

The finalized arrangement grants Congress 28 Assembly seats and one Rajya Sabha seat. This marks an increase from the 25 seats allocated in the last election cycle. Sengottaiyan noted the Congress' long-standing partnership with the DMK but suggested that a stronger position was secured due to TVK's influence.

Meanwhile, TVK launched its campaign efforts in rural areas, with Sengottaiyan citing significant support from diverse demographics, particularly among youth, women, and elders. In response to political accusations from AIADMK leader D Jayakumar, Sengottaiyan dismissed suggestions about TVK chief Vijay's media presence, attributing such statements to Jayakumar's frustration over internal party candidate preferences.

(With inputs from agencies.)