CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s State Committee is firm that it cannot scale down its share of seats below six. “The mandate is for six seats,” party sources said. However, the DMK leadership is offering only five seats. The State Committee’s decision will be conveyed to the DMK leadership, and a further decision will be taken depending on its response.
On Saturday, CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby attended the State Secretariat meeting, followed by the State Committee meeting, which went on beyond 11 p.m. There is no change in the party’s stand backing the DMK-led alliance, as its aim is to prevent the BJP-AIADMK combine from winning. But there is a suggestion to contest independently in some constituencies and support the DMK in others. Asked about the proposal, the party sources said everything would depend on the DMK’s response.
The CPI(M) took a similar position in the 1998 Lok Sabha election, when it was allotted only one seat by the DMK. The party decided to contest in six constituencies, but eventually confined itself to two and supported the DMK and the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), led by G. K. Moopanar. However, the CPI(M) was not part of the DMK-TMC combine that swept the 1996 Tamil Nadu Assembly election. The CPI(M) went to the polls with the MDMK, launched by Vaiko.
The CPI(M)’s contention is that it had been promised an increase in the seats for the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly election by the DMK leadership. On the other hand, the DMK argues that it has included more political parties in the alliance and is likely to lose 15 constituencies from its share.
Published – March 21, 2026 02:56 pm IST
