Congress Seeks Greater Role in Tamil Nadu Politics: Demands Seat Sharing Agreement with DMK by December 15

The Congress party has strengthened its negotiation stance with its key ally DMK in Tamil Nadu, despite facing disappointing results in Bihar where it secured only six seats out of 61 contested, according to sources.

Congress representatives stated that the party's Tamil Nadu alliance committee has requested one to two Assembly seats in each of the state's 38 districts and a share in governmental power if their coalition returns to office following next year's elections. In the 2021 Assembly elections, Congress contested 25 seats in Tamil Nadu and won 18.

Officials present at Wednesday's discussions revealed that Congress has spent nearly 20 years without participation in the state government and now seeks both recognition and a specific administrative role. The committee has also requested DMK to complete all negotiations, including seat allocation, by December 15 to prevent the recurring issue of last-minute discussions.

The representatives indicated that the committee informed DMK it cannot achieve a comfortable victory without Congress support, as Congress votes remain essential in several areas where DMK's organizational strength is comparatively limited.

Congress established its five-member committee on November 22 after DMK requested clarification from the party leadership. This followed speculation that portions of the state Congress were considering an alliance with actor-politician Vijay's TVK, which has emerged as a third political force in Tamil Nadu, alongside the DMK- and AIADMK-led coalitions.

The committee—comprising Tamil Nadu Congress president K Selvaperunthagai, party in-charge for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Girish Chodankar, Congress Legislature Party leader S Rajeshkumar, and senior leaders Nivedith Alva and Suraj Hegde—met with DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and senior DMK officials to discuss their expectations.

The Bihar election results weakened the broader opposition alliance and intensified concerns regarding Congress's national position. Leaders indicated this has prompted a strategic reassessment, with the party unwilling to continue as a passive junior partner in key states. The Tamil Nadu unit has informed the High Command that while its presence may not be dominant, it maintains significant pockets of influence that should translate into meaningful negotiation power.

Other coalition partners, including the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Left parties, are also preparing to advocate for increased representation ahead of the 2026 elections.

DMK negotiators are expected to carefully consider Congress demands because, as the principal party, it bears the greatest electoral responsibility and must also work to ensure victories for its allies.

Both DMK and Congress have been reevaluating TVK and Vijay's potential impact following the Karur stampede in September, which resulted in over 40 fatalities. Vijay recently communicated with Congress MP and Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, adding further complexity to an already intricate political situation.