Tamil Nadu Polls: MMK Stakes Early Claim, Demands Five Seats in DMK Alliance Talks
Chennai — As the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections approach, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has kicked off critical seat-sharing negotiations with its alliance partners — and one of its allies has made a bold early demand.
The Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), a constituent of the ruling Secular Progressive Alliance, formally requested five assembly constituencies from the DMK in the first round of talks. This move signals the start of a potentially complex negotiation phase among parties looking to contest under the alliance banner.
DMK leaders convened a seven-member seat-sharing committee tasked with hashing out allocations with various partners ahead of the polls. In their initial sit-down with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the latter also raised a five-seat demand, though early indications suggest the DMK has proposed fewer seats at this stage.
MMK President M. H. Jawahirullah emphasized the party’s desire to contest on the alliance’s platform across these constituencies. Although the parties have not finalised the agreement yet, MMK’s demand highlights the challenge before the DMK as it works to balance competing partner interests while keeping the alliance united.
The seat-sharing discussions come amidst wider talks involving other key allies, including the Congress and Left parties, underlining both the strategic importance of coalition partners and the intensifying chess game of constituency allocations ahead of a tightly contested election season.
As negotiations continue, electoral analysts say how these seat demands are resolved could influence alliance stability and the overall electoral strategy for the DMK-led front. Stakeholders are watching closely as the talks unfold.
