CPM Seeks More Seats In Alliance For 2026, DMK Says Final Call Closer To Polls
Chennai:
With Tamil Nadu heading towards a high-stakes Assembly election in 2026, allies of the ruling DMK have begun to share their expectations for more seats. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), a long-time ally of the DMK, has openly demanded a greater share of seats this time.
CPM's State Secretary P Shanmugam on Tuesday said that the party expects a better deal in 2026. In 2006, the CPM contested 13 seats within the DMK alliance and won 9 of them. In contrast, in the 2021 elections, the party was allotted only 6 seats and won 2.
The demand comes at a time when new political alignments are in play. Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), which has joined the DMK alliance, is also expected to seek its share of constituencies.
Adding to the intrigue, TVK Chief and actor Vijay has offered share in power with potential allies if his party forms the government. This is seen as a move to pursue partners from the DMK front, making seat-sharing talks even more crucial for the ruling coalition.
Responding to the CPM's demand, a senior DMK leader said it was well within the ally's rights to ask for more seats. "These discussions and decisions are taken closer to elections. The leadership of both parties will sit together and decide", he added.
The DMK-led alliance has won consecutive elections, winning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the 2021 assembly polls, and most recently, sweeping the 2024 general election in Tamil Nadu.
With the DMK wanting to fight in enough number of seats to secure a majority of its own in the 234 member Tamil Nadu assembly, observers feel such demands from allies could then make negotiations a tight rope walk for the DMK.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Top news of the day, June 11, 2025: Air India plane crashes in Ahmedabad, former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani among victims
Air India flight crashes into medical college building inAhmedabad; 204 bodies retrieved A London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in a residential area near Meghaninagar minutes after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday (June 12, 2025) afternoon, killed 204 people and injured 41 others. Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani killed in Ahmedabad plane crash Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was killed in the London-bound Air India plane that crashed near the Ahmedabad airport soon after take-off on Thursday (June 12, 2025). Union Minister C.R. Patil confirmed the death of the former CM. He was among the 242 people aboard the ill-fated London-bound Air India I71 flight that crashed minutes after it took off from Ahmedabad. He is the second Gujarat CM to die in a plane crash. Air India plane crashed just moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad; pilot gave mayday call The Ahmedabad-London Air India passenger plane crashed just moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday (June 12, 2025) afternoon, a statement by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said. The pilot of the aircraft gave a mayday call to the Ahmedabad air traffic controller. The Boeing 787 aircraft took off from the airport at 1:39 p.m. with 232 passengers, including 2 infants and 10 crew members. Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka High Court orders release of RCB's Nikhil Sosale and others on bail In a major set back to the police and the State government, the High Court of Karnataka on Thursday (June 12, 2025) ordered the release on bail of four representatives of Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) and DNA Networks Pvt. Ltd., who were arrested on the wee hours of June 6 in connection with the June 4 stampede outside M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru during the celebration of RCB's victory in IPL-2025 tournment. Kamal Haasan, P. Wilson, Salma among six elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan, former Additional Advocate General and incumbent MP P. Wilson, poet Rajathi alias Salma, and S.R. Sivalingam — all backed by the DMK and its allies — were on Thursday (June 12, 2025) declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK's I.S. Inbadurai and M. Dhanapal were also elected unopposed to the Upper House. Ship on fire: salvage operation delayed as salvor's vessel runs out of fuel Even as the authorities have been struggling to contain the raging fire onboard the Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire off the Kerala coast on June 9, the vessel, Offshore Warrior, deployed by the owners of the ship to mitigate the imminent danger of a possible explosion had to leave the site of the accident after running short of fuel, delaying the entire emergency response operations. India slips to 131st position in Global Gender Gap Index 2025 India is ranked 131 out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025, slipping two places from its position last year. With a parity score of just 64.1%, India is among the lowest-ranked countries in South Asia, according to the report released on Thursday (June 12, 2025). India was ranked 129 last year. Trump unveils website for $5 million U.S. residency visa U.S. President Donald Trump touted a new website for his planned $5 million U.S. residency permit on Wednesday, saying the waiting list for the golden visa has opened on 'Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the World,' Trump wrote in a social media post. Sixth round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and U.S. on June 15, says Oman Foreign Minister Iran and the United States will hold a sixth round of negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme this Sunday (June 15, 2025) in Oman, the sultanate's Foreign Minister said on Thursday (June 12, 2025), as regional tensions have spiked in recent days. Boeing shares decline 8% pre-market after Air India crash Shares of North American airplane manufacturer Boeing fell 8% in pre-market trade on NASDAQ after the Air India aircraft crash Ahmedabad airport on Thursday (June 12, 2025). Australia's Cummins rips through South Africa batting in WTC final Australia captain Pat Cummins produced a sensational spell of four wickets for just one run as the title-holders seized control of the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's on Thursday (June 12, 2025).
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
"He is the only PM who tells lies, entire India knows this": Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 12 (ANI): Backing Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Thursday said the PM is known for making false claims and 'entire India knows this.' Speaking to reporters, Minister Reddy said, 'He is the only PM who tells lies. Entire India knows people are liars. Why do you give prominence to those people?' Responding to a question on the recent stampede incident in Bengaluru, Reddy said it would not be appropriate to comment at this stage as an official investigation is underway. 'Already, an inquiry is going on. It's better not to comment on it now,' the minister said. Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had earlier sharpened his attack on Prime Minister Modi, marking the completion of 11 years of the BJP-led government at the Centre. Drawing from his decades-long political experience, Kharge alleged that he had 'never seen a Prime Minister who lies so much.' The Congress President said that he had been in politics for 65 years and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been deceiving the youth and securing votes by luring the poor. Kharge added, 'I had been saying this in Parliament for a long time, and I had never seen a Prime Minister who lied so much, made so many mistakes, trapped people, deceived the youth, and took votes by misleading them. I had been in politics for 65 years. He lied about everything, and not a single promise was implemented.' Furthermore, the Congress President highlighted that PM Narendra Modi did not respond whenever he was questioned on issues such as demonetisation, MSP, or unemployment. 'When we asked him, he did not have any answers--whether it was about demonetisation, unemployment, or MSP. There were so many such issues. He never told the people that he had misled them. He just kept making one statement after another and claimed that his 11 years were over,' Kharge added. (ANI)
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Iran Israel war: Netanyahu on the verge of attacking Tehran's nuke sites, Houthis warn U.S
Tensions in the Middle East have started to escalate as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for a potential military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, while the Ansar Allah movement , commonly known as the Houthis, has sent a warning to Israel and the United States, as per reports. Israel Prepares for Possible Strike on Iran This comes after an Israeli naval strike on Tuesday against Houthis, a member of the Iran-led Axis of Resistance coalition that has been engaged in missile and drone attacks against Israel since the war started between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement in October 2023, reported Newsweek. ALSO READ: Air India Plane Crash: AI171 becomes the first ever Boeing 787 Dreamliner to crash by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo US Evacuates Personnel Amid Growing Threats Meanwhile, the US State Department ordered non-emergency government officials and family members to evacuate from regional countries, including Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait, after reports came that Israel might strike against Iran, according to the report. US president Donald Trump said that Americans were advised to leave the region "because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens," quoted CBS News. He also emphasized that the United States did not want Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, as he said, "We're not going to allow that," as quoted in the report. Live Events Nuclear Talks Between Washington and Tehran Continue The developments come amid uncertainties about the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran, and President Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has planned to meet with Iran for a sixth round of talks on the country's nuclear program in the coming days, according to CBS News. Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh has warned that if nuclear talks fail between both the countries and "a conflict is imposed on us," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "will target all U.S. bases in the host countries," quoted CBS News. While, the US president has repeatedly discouraged Netanyahu from taking military action against Iran while negotiations were ongoing, as per Newsweek. Houthis Issue Stark Warning Amid Rising Conflict Ansar Allah has also adopted a heightened state of readiness, as it was already "essentially in a state of war with the Zionist enemy entity due to its aggression and siege on Gaza, followed by its aggression against Yemen," reported Newsweek. Newsweek's source from the Houthis group also warned that, "We are also at the highest level of preparedness for any possible American escalation against us," adding, "Any escalation against the Islamic Republic of Iran is also dangerous and will drag the entire region into the abyss of war," as quoted in the report. FAQs What are the current nuclear negotiations about? The US and Iran are negotiating limits on Iran's nuclear program, trying to prevent it from reaching weapons-grade uranium enrichment, as per reports. The talks are fragile and uncertain. What is President Trump's position on the situation? Trump has warned Americans to be cautious and leave the region if possible. He opposes Iran developing nuclear weapons but has also urged Israel not to strike Iran while nuclear talks continue.
