The Congress will contest in Tiruvallur (SC), Krishnagiri, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, Karur, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari and the Puducherry Parliamentary constituencies as a part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc headed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
An agreement to this effect was signed between DMK president M.K. Stalin and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai at the DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, in Chennai, on Monday, March 18, 2024.
The Congress was allotted nine constituencies in T.N. and the lone constituency in Puducherry. In the 2019 general elections too, the Congress had contested in nine plus one seats, and won all but the Theni seat, where former TNCC president E.V.K.S. Elangovan lost to AIADMK candidate P. Ravindranath, son of former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.
As reported in The Hindu last week, the DMK has replaced three constituencies that were allotted to the Congress in 2019: Arani, Theni and Tiruchi, with Cuddalore, Tirunelveli and Mayiladuthurai. The Congress was defeated in Theni in 2019.
With DMK office-bearers in Arani are reportedly unhappy with Congress sitting MP M. K. Vishnu Prasad and his family members being given preference in the region for several years now, there was a demand, this time around, to field a DMK candidate.
In the Congress too, there have been voices in favour of fielding fresh faces this time instead of veterans and family members of influential party leaders.
While the DMK is entering the fray in Theni this time, the party has allotted the Tiruchi seat to the MDMK.
Former TNCC president K. S. Alagiri is likely to be fielded in Cuddalore and All India Professionals Congress chairman, Praveen Chakravarthy, is among the front-runners in Mayiladuthurai.
