According to people present at the discussions, Stalin questioned how such statements could be made when the Congress itself acknowledged the DMK as its ideological partner in the state. (File)The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Congress Wednesday evening finalised their seat-sharing agreement for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, ending weeks of uneasy negotiations that at one point appeared headed toward a rupture. The deal — 28 assembly seats and one Rajya Sabha seat — was sealed after a decisive intervention by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who stepped into the talks Tuesday on behalf of party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi, and held a crucial meeting with Chief Minister M K Stalin in Chennai.The breakthrough came after nearly two months of internal friction within the Congress and public remarks by some of its leaders that had raised speculation that the alliance itself might unravel. Alliance negotiations had begun earlier this year with a gap of about 16 seats between what the Congress demanded and what the DMK was willing to offer. By Monday, that difference had narrowed to 3-4 seats, but mistrust persisted after statements by Congress general secretary Manickam Tagore and AICC secretary Girish Chodankar suggested the party was exploring other political options as well.Those remarks triggered unease within the DMK leadership, which viewed them as unnecessary signals at a time when both parties were preparing to renew their alliance.According to sources familiar with Tuesday’s meeting, Stalin told Chidambaram that the talks might have concluded much earlier had the Congress sent a senior leader who understood Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.“He said the issue could have been resolved earlier if someone with experience had come instead of leaders who were confused about the ground reality,” one person briefed on the meeting said. Stalin also reminded Chidambaram that the DMK had delivered strongly for the Congress in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when the national party enjoyed one of its best strike rates in the state under the DMK-led alliance.“This is our election now — the assembly election,” Stalin is understood to have told him. The Chief Minister also raised concerns about statements from Congress leaders suggesting that the party was in conversation with other political formations, a reference to Chodankar’s remarks that Congress, “as a political party,” could talk to multiple players.According to people present at the discussions, Stalin questioned how such statements could be made when the Congress itself acknowledged the DMK as its ideological partner in the state.Story continues below this adDespite the friction, both sides had strong incentives to preserve the alliance, which has dominated Tamil Nadu elections since 2019. Behind the scenes, the Congress leadership also moved to stabilise the talks. A senior emissary from Sonia Gandhi’s camp – T S Singh Deo – was deputed to attend the meeting alongside Venugopal as the state leadership raised concerns at the interests of leaders such as Tagore, Chodankar and Venugopal.Within the state Congress unit, the task of containing the crisis fell largely on Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai, a leader seen as close to Kharge. Party insiders said he played a key role in persuading both camps that a breakdown of the alliance would damage Congress far more than the DMK.Several Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu had already conveyed to the central leadership that they could not accept any scenario in which the party aligned with actor Vijay’s TVK instead of the DMK. Chidambaram’s intervention ultimately helped bridge the remaining differences, much as he had done during the 2021 Assembly election negotiations.Wednesday’s agreement signals that, despite periodic tensions and internal rivalries within the Congress, the DMK-led alliance remains intact ahead of what is expected to be a competitive multi-cornered contest in Tamil Nadu. For Stalin, the outcome preserves a coalition that has delivered successive electoral victories since 2019. For the Congress, the deal secures its continued relevance in a state where it has struggled to regain an independent electoral base.Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority. Expertise Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews. Key Coverage Areas: State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor. Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties. Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu. Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail. His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism. Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More © The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Political PulseTamil Nadu