CHENNAI: DMK on Tuesday allotted 10 seats to Desiya Murpoku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and eight seats to Viduthalai Chiruthalaigal Katchi (VCK) for the upcoming assembly election.While VCK has got two seats more than what it got in the previous election, DMDK, which has aligned with DMK for the first time, has got the second highest number of seats in the alliance after Congress. Of the eight seats allotted to VCK, six are reserved and the other two are general segment.VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan and DMDK general secretary Premallatha Vijayakant called on chief minister M K Stalin and signed the seat-sharing agreement. Thirumavalavan said he was satisfied with the number of seats allotted to VCK, while Premallatha said the DMK front would win 200 seats in the assembly elections and Stalin would become the CM again.Allotment of 10 seats to DMDK had come as a surprise to many. But Premallatha said DMDK’s demands were higher and that she had to ‘sacrifice seats’ to accommodate other allies. “We too demanded more seats but had to settle for 10 seats,’’ she said.Premallatha said she has submitted a list of 25 preferred constituencies to DMK, from which 10 would be shortlisted and allotted for DMDK. “The 10 constituencies would be finalised on Wednesday or Thursday and would be announced on Friday,” she said.Thirumavalavan told reporters that the prime objective of VCK was to defeat BJP and its allies. “We feel that VCK has the greater responsibility of defeating the caste and communal forces. We did not want to give space to right wing elements for our temporary gain of a few more seats. Resisting the regressive forces is essential for the welfare of TN as well as India,’’ he said. The VCK chief said the 18 seats allotted to VCK and the two left parties was a collective unit, allotted to left democratic forces. On the demand for Rajya Sabha seat, Thirumavalavan said the demand was not for this election.So far, DMK has allotted 66 seats to its alliance parties. Congress has got a lion’s share with 28 seats. Five each were allotted to CPM and CPI, followed by four for MDMK and two each for IUML, Manidhaneya Makkal Katchi and Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi.Out of 66, alliance parties are contesting in their own symbol in 59 seats, while in the remaining 175 seats, DMK and its minor allies are set to contest in the ‘rising sun’ symbol. In the 2021 election, DMK and its allies contested in the ‘rising sun’ symbol in 188 constituencies, out of which DMK alone contested in 173 constituencies. The total number of segments for DMK has been reduced by 13 this election, due to the induction of several new parties.
