Lok Sabha 2019: DMK Inks Poll Pact With 3 More Parties, including CPI

Chennai: The Dravida Munnetra Kazgham (DMK) on Monday concluded electoral pacts with three more Tamil Nadu parties -- the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK) and the Indhiya Jananayaka Katchi (IJK) -- for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

As per the agreement inked between the DMK and three parties, the CPI and the VCK get two seats each while the IJK gets one. 

Speaking to the media, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan said the two constituencies would be decided later and expressed confidence that the DMK-led alliance would win all the 40 Lok Sabha seats -- 39 in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry seat.

He said the party would decide on whether to contest under its own symbol or under the DMK's rising sun symbol.

The CPI's Tamil Nadu State Secretary R. Mutharasan said after the smooth first round talks earlier, the agreement was reached in the second round.

He said the party would contest under its own symbol.

Mutharasan said the CPI would extend support to the DMK in the bypolls that would be held for the 21 Assembly constituencies lying vacant.

Till now, the DMK has signed electoral alliance pacts with six parties, allotting them 16 seats in the state and neighbouring Puducherry. While the Congress has got nine seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry seat, the CPI and the VCK have been given two seats each, and the IUML, the KDMK and the IJK one seat each.

The DMK is also holding talks with Vaiko's MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI(M) and a decision is expected on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, suspense continues about which way the DMDK (Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam) will go.

The party, founded by actor A. Vijayakanth, has called a meeting of its senior party officials on Tuesday probably to decide on whom to align with, as the party has held talks both with DMK and the ruling AIADMK. To support

CPI(M) to support Congress in direct fight against BJP

Meanwhile, in Delhi the CPI-M on Monday said that in order to defeat the BJP-led alliance and ensure an alternative secular government is formed at the Centre, it would lend support to the Congress in states where it is in direct contest with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The party said that in West Bengal, it won't go for mutual contest in the present six sitting Lok Sabha seats which are currently held by Congress and the Left Front.

At a meeting of its Central Committee here on Monday, the party reiterated that its electoral tactics in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be based on defeating the BJP alliance, increasing the strength of the CPI-M and the Left in the Lok Sabha, and ensure that an alternative secular government is formed at the Centre.

"In order to ensure the maximum pooling of anti-BJP votes, state level electoral tactics are being worked out. In states where the direct contest is between the Congress and BJP, the CPI-M will contest one or two seats and campaign generally for the defeat of the BJP," it said in a statement.

The party added that in Tamil Nadu, discussions were on for seat sharing with the DMK and with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra for contesting Dindori or Palghar seats where it "independently polls around a lakh votes each". 

In Bihar, talks are being held with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for contesting Ujiarpur seat in Samastipur district, it said.

"In Odisha, where simultaneous elections will be held, the CPI-M will contest the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha and a few Assembly seats including its sitting seat Bonnai. It calls upon the people of Odisha to defeat the BJP," it added.

It said the Left Front was meeting on March 8 to finalise the other seats.