DMK may contest for three seats in Karaikal

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has decided to contest in three Assembly constituencies in the Puducherry Assembly elections, party sources said.

However, uncertainty surrounding seat-sharing negotiations between the DMK and the Congress in Tamil Nadu has stalled parallel discussions in the Union Territory creating unease within the alliance.

Karaikal district has five Assembly segments. The DMK holds two of them — Karaikal South and Neravy–T.R. Pattinam. Senior DMK leaders and MLAs from Puducherry told The Hindu that the party intends to add Karaikal North to its list. “This will strengthen the party’s organisational presence in Karaikal and give us greater momentum ahead of the elections,” a senior DMK functionary said.

However, party sources attributed the delay in formalising seat-sharing arrangements in Puducherry to the ongoing stalemate in negotiations between the DMK and the Congress in Tamil Nadu. “There is discomfort over how the talks are progressing there and that has had a direct impact here,” a Puducherry DMK leader said.

A former Leader of the Opposition in Puducherry and a senior DMK leader said the political dynamics in the Union Territory made coordination between the two parties inevitable. “Puducherry has smaller constituencies and the DMK and the Congress are interdependent. Neither can function effectively without the other,” he said and added that the Congress had begun organisational work in constituencies won by the DMK as a precautionary measure.

Echoing this, a Karaikal MLA said Congress workers had recently intensified activity in his constituency, including efforts to identify potential local candidates.

Senior DMK leaders maintained the outcome in Puducherry would mirror developments in Tamil Nadu. “If the alliance is finalised smoothly in Tamil Nadu, the same will follow here. Otherwise, we will have to align our strategy accordingly,” a senior leader said.

At present, the DMK holds six of the 30 Assembly seats in Puducherry while the Congress has two. The DMK last headed a government in Puducherry in 1996 under Chief Minister R.V. Janakiraman.

A senior DMK functionary said in the previous election, the party contested 13 seats and won six, while the Congress contested 14 seats but managed to win only two. “This time, we plan to contest more seats and ask for at least 15 seats to build an ideology-driven base. Puducherry politics is largely individual-centric, with frequent shifts in allegiance. Unless we expand our electoral presence, it is difficult to create a sustained political wave,” he said.

Congress leaders, however, said decisions would be taken only after consultations with the party high command. “We are aware of the ground situation, including reports of some DMK leaders being in close proximity with the AINR Congress. But we will act strictly as per instructions from the high command,” a senior Congress leader said.