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| DMK-Congress: Is 61 the magic numbe |
| DMK-Congress: Is 61 the magic number?
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| INDIA
, 8-March-2011
3:50:2 AM |
| The Congress and DMK are expected to decide today whether they will stick together for the Tamil Nadu elections or split up over how many seats the Congress should be allowed to contest. Sources in Chennai say both sides might settle on 61.
It's been a hectic morning for both parties. After a meeting with Sonia Gandhi last night in Delhi, senior DMK leaders briefed their chief, M Karunanidhi, who is likely to give his feedback on the negotiations in the next few hours. In a sign that the marriage may be saved, Mr Karunanidhi's daughter, Kanimozhi, is heading to Delhi from Chennai.
The DMK had initially drawn the line at 60 seats for the Congress, which said nothing less than 63 was acceptable. The Congress also said it wanted to participate in the government if the alliance wins the election (in the current arrangement, the DMK is in power with support from the Congress).
This morning, sources in Tamil Nadu's Congress unit said the two sides had agreed to bridge the gap at 61 seats. And that the DMK would consider sharing power with the Congress if it won the state elections.
The bluster has been high-volume since Saturday night, when the DMK announced that it was dropping out of the UPA coalition at the Centre over the battle with the Congress in Tamil Nadu. The DMK has 18 MPs and six ministers in the Centre, which give the party considerable clout. So after its ultimatum, the DMK waited for the Congress to coax and cajole it to change its mind - that never happened. Yesterday, DMK leaders like Mr Karunanidhi's son, MK Alagiri, who is a union minister, said all six ministers of the DMK would hand in their resignations to the PM.
Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee then staged an intervention last afternoon, meeting Mr Karunanidhi's nephew, Dayanidhi Maran. By the evening, the DMK ministers recalled the decision to resign, stating that the Congress had asked for another day. Last night, Mr Maran and Mr Alagiri met Sonia Gandhi,
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