Amid simmering tensions within the DMK–Congress alliance, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal is expected to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai on Sunday evening, February 22. The meeting comes as the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) begins formal seat-sharing talks with its allies ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
KC Venugopal and other Congress leaders are expected to hold discussions with Stalin. A top DMK source told TNM that Venugopal had sought an appointment with the Chief Minister and that the meeting would be a courtesy call.
The meeting assumes significance as it comes weeks after visible strain in ties between the DMK and the Indian National Congress over demands raised by some state leaders for a share in power.
Venugopal’s visit comes days after he cautioned party leaders in Tamil Nadu against making public remarks about the alliance. He clarified that recent calls from some state leaders for a share in power did not reflect the party’s official position. “As far as different voices within the Congress party are concerned, I would like to categorically say that this is not the party’s stand. That is their individual opinion, not the party’s view,” Venugopal said. He added that no one had the authority to speak for or against alliance partners at this stage and that the final decision would rest with the AICC leadership.
Earlier, speaking to The News Minute, AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, said that Stalin had not rejected the demand for a power share and had only expressed his views on the matter. He reiterated that any final decision on seat-sharing or the alliance framework would be taken once formal talks begin. The DMK has so far not invited the Congress to hold seat-sharing discussions.
The friction between the DMK and the Congress became evident after Virudhunagar MP Manickam Tagore made remarks at a meeting in Madurai that were seen as critical of the ruling party. District-level Congress leaders also passed a resolution seeking a share in power in the state government. Praveen Chakravarthy, president of the All India Professionals’ Congress, questioned the belief that welfare schemes alone would ensure electoral success; comments widely interpreted as indirect criticism of the DMK government.
IUML seat-sharing talks
Separately, a DMK committee led by senior leader TR Baalu held seat-sharing talks with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Sunday. Sources told TNM that IUML leaders demanded five Assembly seats in the upcoming elections.
In response, the DMK urged the IUML to reduce its demand to two seats. In 2021, the DMK had allocated three seats to the IUML. Speaking to journalists, IUML chief Khader Mohideen said that the DMK wanted its alliance partners to sacrifice a few seats to accommodate new parties in the alliance.