DMK's Kanimozhi Leads Election Manifesto Meeting Amid Alliance Talks

On Wednesday, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, a Member of Parliament from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), presided over a meeting of the party's election manifesto committee at the Arivalayam headquarters in Chennai. She stated that discussions regarding an alliance with the Congress party are ongoing, and decisions regarding the number of constituencies will be made by the negotiation committee. Any announcements regarding new parties joining the alliance will be made by the Chief Minister.

While speaking to reporters, Kanimozhi confirmed that talks with the Congress party are in progress. However, there has been no discussion about the number of constituencies yet. The negotiation committee will determine this number. If any new party joins the alliance, the Chief Minister will announce it. These developments come as Tamil Nadu is set to hold elections in the first half of this year, although the Election Commission has yet to release an official election schedule. In the 2021 assembly elections, the DMK secured 133 out of 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly, while Congress won 18, PMK 5, VCK 4, and other parties claimed 8 seats.

Additionally, Kanimozhi criticized the suspension of eight opposition MPs from the Lok Sabha, calling it "unacceptable" during the current budget session. She expressed her disapproval of the suspension of MPs in Parliament. This action followed a disruption in the house after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi specifically mentioned the 2020 standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh. The eight opposition MPs were suspended for violating rules and allegedly "throwing papers on the chair" during the budget session. The suspended members include Congress MPs Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadaworaw Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Dean Kuriakose, along with CPI(M) MP S. Venkatesan.