Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, on Thursday, May 7, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking a separate seating arrangement for DMK MPs in the Lok Sabha, citing the end of the party’s alliance with the Congress.
In her letter dated May 7, Kanimozhi said the “changed political circumstances” warranted a revision in the existing seating arrangement in the House.
“In view of the changed political circumstances and as our alliance with the Indian National Congress has come to an end, it may not be appropriate for our Members to continue occupying the present seating arrangement alongside them in the House,” she wrote.
The DMK leader requested the Speaker’s office to “kindly make the necessary arrangements for the Hon’ble Members of the DMK Parliamentary Party to be allotted separate seating, enabling them to effectively discharge their responsibilities in the August House.”
The development comes a day after the Congress formally ended its long-standing alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu and extended support to actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the race to form the next government in the state.
Congress leaders also announced that the new alliance with TVK would continue for future local body, Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha elections.
The split marks the collapse of a decades-long political partnership between the DMK and the Congress in Tamil Nadu, an alliance that had largely remained intact over the past two decades despite periodic disagreements over seat sharing and electoral strategy.
Tensions between the two parties escalated after the Congress backed TVK following the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election results, which produced a hung verdict. The move triggered sharp reactions from several DMK leaders. Kanimozhi had earlier reacted to the Congress decision by saying that allies had the “right to decide what they think is right.”