The stalemate between the Congress and the DMK over seat-sharing was eased through the mediation of senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, who met the DMK president and Chief Minister M.K. The Congress is prepared to settle for 30 Assembly seats and one Rajya Sabha seat, but the DMK has increased its offer only to 27 seats. The Chief Minister reportedly told Mr. Chidambaram that the issue could have been resolved much earlier had the Congress deputed him as mediator. He agreed to increase the number of seats to 27 “out of respect” for Mr. Chidambaram. On his party, Mr. Chidambaram is now awaiting the response of the Congress high command in Delhi before proceeding further with the seat-sharing talks.

Source: The Hindu March 03, 2026 13:11 UTC