New Delhi/Chennai, February 10 AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Girish Chodankar, on Tuesday, expressed concern over the "delay" by the DMK in constituting the seat-sharing committee for negotiations ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
Although he had met Chief Minister M K Stalin and initiated talks on behalf of the Congress, the DMK has yet to form its panel to begin discussions, he said, referring to the five-member committee under him that met Stalin, the DMK president, in early December 2025.
"We have been waiting since then, hoping that they would immediately start the negotiations and clarify the number of seats and which constituencies we will contest so that we can fully prepare for the elections," Chodankar told reporters in the national capital.
He described it as "disappointing" that the DMK has still not constituted the committee or begun talks, adding, "Our leaders are keen and are asking why the alliance talks have not started. But nothing is coming forward from the DMK side."
With elections fast approaching, the party requires sufficient time to commence poll preparations, he said, adding that he did not know the reason for the delay.
"We are not blaming the DMK. There’s no blame game here. We are presenting the facts. We have been waiting for the last 70 days," he said in response to a question.
TNCC chief K Selvaperunthagai, present at the occasion, stressed the importance of early negotiations.
"There’s no confusion from our side. The DMK has not formed the seat-sharing committee. We told our leaders that finalising the number of seats and identifying constituencies at the last minute would only affect poll preparations," Selvaperunthagai said.
Earlier, senior leaders of the TNCC, along with newly appointed district presidents, arrived in New Delhi for an interaction with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The meeting follows DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi’s recent visit to meet Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, amid reports of some voices within Congress demanding a share in power.
However, before leaving for Delhi, Selvaperunthagai told reporters in Chennai that there was no rift with the DMK and that the alliance and seat-sharing would be decided by the Congress leadership.
Around 74 district presidents are in Delhi for a training session.
