Lok Sabha Elections 2024: DMK seals alliance with Congress and Kamal Haasan's MNM in Tamil Nadu

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has finalized a seat-sharing agreement with the Congress and Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu.

"My party and I are not contesting this election. But we will give all cooperation to this alliance. We have joined hands as this is not just for a position, this is for the nation," Kamal Haasan said.

On March 9, Kamal Haasan announced the alliance between the DMK, Congress, and his party Makkal Needhi Maiam for the Lok Sabha polls in Chennai. 

Kamal Haasan, after announcing the alliance, met with Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin at the DMK office in Chennai on Saturday. However, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) has decided not to contest any seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

“Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) is not contesting (the Lok Sabha elections), the party will support and campaign. One seat for MNM in Rajya Sabha (in 2025)," said party's general secretary Arunachalam.

The DMK had been actively negotiating seat-sharing arrangements with the Congress, an ally of the INDIA bloc. These two parties are already alliance partners in the state government of Tamil Nadu. Kamal Haasan had previously hinted at his inclination towards joining the Congress-led alliance in Tamil Nadu several months ago.

Back in September of the previous year, Udhayanidhi Stalin, a leader in the DMK and Tamil Nadu minister, had hinted at the possibility of his party forming an alliance with Kamal Haasan's MNM ahead of the parliamentary elections.

Tamil Nadu holds significance in the Lok Sabha with its 39 seats. In the 2019 elections, the DMK-led alliance, which included the Congress, CPI, CPI (M), Viduthalai Chiruthaikal (VCK), and several smaller parties, dominated the state by securing 38 of the 39 seats. The remaining one seat was won by AIADMK.

Tamil Nadu was one of the states where the BJP-led NDA struggled to make a significant impact in the last general elections. The 2019 Lok Sabha polls were conducted in seven phases, spanning from April 11 to May 19. The final results, declared on May 23, marked a sweeping victory for the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, securing 303 seats in the 543-member House.