2019 polls: Day after AIADMK-BJP alliance, Congress may seal deal with DMK today

New Delhi: A day after AIADMK-BJP announced an alliance, the Congress is likely to formalise their partnership for the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections with MK Stalin’s DMK today. The party may get 9 seats out of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry.

Stalin’s DMK is likely to contest 20 to 25 seats. The rest may go to other alliance partners.

According to sources, the Congress wants to make it a round 10 seats in Tamil Nadu but DMK believes that one extra seat will backfire for the alliance.

Earlier, in 2004, Congress has contested 10 seats in Tamil Nadu as part of the DMK-led alliance and in 2009, the Congress contested 16 seats.

However, in 2014, the two parties contested separately.

Congress leader KC Venugopal and Mukul Wasnik are expected to visit the state on Wednesday to seal the deal with Stalin’s party.

DMK's Kanimozhi met Congress president Rahul Gandhi twice, on Monday morning and Tuesday evening, to finalise the seat-sharing formula.

Sources said, “Kanimozhi had met Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday morning and proposed 9+1 seat sharing formula between DMK and the Congress.”

The DMK made it clear that it wants to contest 25 seats, which would mean a smaller share for the Congress, with seven smaller parties in the alliance.

Initially, Stalin's party offered eight seats, but the Congress reportedly wanted 11.

The two finally agreed on middle ground.

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and former Union Minister EVKS Elangovan were among the leaders at the meeting.