Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 27 : Amidst the ongoing DMK-Congress seat-sharing talks and seat allocation in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming state polls, Congress MP Jothimani on Friday criticised the party's lack of transparency in constituency selection, saying that the process should be conducted only after extensive discussion, a view that has not been accepted by the responsible leaders.
In an 'X' post, she stated that everything happened in a highly secretive manner and that the welfare of the Congress party has been entirely compromised. She added that it is heartbreaking to see a few individuals, who have not contributed even a single feather to the decades-long hard work of genuine Congress party workers in the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, now effectively selling it off.
"There is absolutely no transparency in the Congress party's constituency selection. Our view that constituency selection should be done only after transparency and extensive discussion has not been accepted by the responsible leaders. Everything happened in a highly secretive manner. The welfare of the Congress party has been entirely compromised. It is heartbreaking to see a few individuals, who haven't even bothered to pluck a single feather from the decades-long hard work of genuine Congress party workers like us for the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, now selling it off," Jothimani wrote on 'X'.
Jothimani emphasised that one cannot remain silent in the face of this situation, noting that the party is not just its leaders, the state president, or the legislative party leader, but also the sentiments and labour of lakhs of workers. She said discussions can happen once the list is released and warned that if candidate selection continues with the same approach, no one can save the Congress party in Tamil Nadu.
"One cannot remain silent in the face of this terrible situation without raising questions. The party is not just the responsible leaders, the state president, and the legislative party leader. The sentiments and labour of lakhs of workers are what make the party. We can discuss this in detail once the list is released. If candidate selection is also going to happen with this same selling approach, no one can save the Congress party in Tamil Nadu," the 'X' post said.
Her remarks came ahead of comments from Congress in charge of Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, who explained the procedural approach, stating that the matter will first be discussed with the Pradesh Election Committee, and no decision can be made without their consultation.
He added that the PEC meeting is scheduled, after which the official list will be released. The CEC meeting is fixed for tomorrow in Delhi, with the screening committee meeting in the morning and the CEC meeting in the evening. Chodankar concluded that once the list is approved by the CEC, the party will update everyone.
"So, we will first discuss it with our Pradesh Election Committee. We can't discuss anything without consulting the Pradesh Election Committee. Now, our meeting is scheduled, and we will just discuss it. Then, we will inform you. Till now, we are satisfied with the seats that have been offered to us. We are just going to discuss it at our PEC meeting, and then we will officially release the list. The CEC meeting is fixed for tomorrow in Delhi. The screening committee meeting is tomorrow morning, and the CEC meeting is tomorrow evening. We are leaving for Delhi today. Once that list is approved by the CEC, we will update you," said Chodankar.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has announced that its "Rising Sun" symbol will contest in nearly 175 constituencies in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
So far, the DMK alliance has allotted seats to nine parties, including Congress (28), MDMK (4), IUML (2), MMK (2), KMDK (2), CPI (5), CPM (5), VCK (8), and DMDK (10). A total of 66 seats have been allocated to allies, with 7 of them being contested under the DMK symbol.
With remaining allocations expected, the DMK will directly contest 168 seats, while allied candidates in 7 seats will also contest under the Rising Sun symbol, making a total of 175 seats under the DMK symbol.
Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23, with counting scheduled for May 4.
The main electoral contest is expected between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which also includes Congress, DMDK, and the VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by AIADMK with the BJP and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) as allies. Actor-turned-politician Vijay is set to make his electoral debut with TVK, attempting to turn the upcoming elections into a three-way contest.
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