CPI(M) forms seat-sharing committee, to pitch for double-digit seats: Shanmugam

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has formed a committee comprising of its state secretary P. Shanmugam and state executive committee members K. Kanagaraj, K. Samuel Raj and S. Kannan to hold seat-sharing negotiations for the upcoming Assembly elections with the ruling DMK.

On the sidelines of the party’s state committee meeting on Wednesday in Namakkal, Mr Shanmugam told journalists the party will pitch for allocation of double-digit seats hoping to increase its representation in the Assembly.

The party has also formed a separate committee to prepare its election manifesto for the 2026 polls, he added. U. Vasuki, State Executive Committee member of the party, has been appointed as the head of the committee. The other members include Executive Committee members N. Gunasekaran, T. Ravindran, G. Sukumaran and Muthukannan.

Referring to the school student Lavanya case in Thanjavur district, who died by suicide in 2022, he said the Central Bureau of Investigation had submitted a report before the Supreme Court stating there was no religious conversion in the case. In this context, he demanded that former State president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) K. Annamalai publicly apologise to the people of the state for his false propaganda on the case. He also urged the state government to initiate legal action against him for allegedly creating tension over the issue.

On welfare measures, Mr. Shanmugam said the maintenance allowance for persons with disabilities was increased by ₹500 in 2022 after the DMK came to power, but had not been revised in the past three years. Contending the state provides one of the lowest maintenance allowances in the country, he condemned the midnight arrest of persons with disabilities who staged protests demanding a hike. He described it as a human rights violation and called for action against the officials responsible.

The leader also urged the state government to implement court orders to enhance the salaries of guest lecturers in the state. Commenting on the state’s finances, he said the debt burden stood at ₹9.5 lakh crore and was projected to rise to ₹10.5 lakh crore next year. If parties claim credit for development, they must also accept responsibility for the rising debt, he said.

Mr. Shanmugam further said local body elections should be conducted on time as mandated by law and alleged that successive governments had postponed them, undermining grassroots democracy. The local body elections should be held after the Assembly polls.

(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)