Chennai: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has submitted a list of 10 preferred constituencies to the DMK. The party which has govt five seats in the alliance expecting the DMK to allot those seats from its list.The list includes Thali and Thiruthuraipoondi, where the CPI won in 2021 as part of the DMK-led alliance. It has also sought Bhavanisagar, Sivagangai, Tiruppur North and Valparai, where it contested but lost in the last election. Among new additions are Nagapattinam, which was allotted to VCK in 2021, Srivilliputhur, given to Congress, and Thondamuthur and Palani, where the DMK fielded its own candidates.CPI sources said the DMK has not committed anything, but would allot the seats from the wish list after factoring in its preferences and demands from other allies. The CPI initially sought a higher number of seats but agreed to five after multiple rounds of talks with the DMK. “Our primary goal is to defeat the BJP, and we have no hesitation in giving up even a constituency for that,” the party’s state secretary M Veerapandian said.The CPM, the other major Left party in the state, has declined to accept the DMK’s proposal to reduce its seat share. Having contested six constituencies in 2021, the party is not willing to settle for the five seats currently being offered.
