DMK lists seats for allies, may take on AIADMK in eight

There are 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and one in neighbouring Puducherry, voting for all of which will be held in a single phase. DMK president M K Stalin released the list of constituencies allotted to the allies in presence of coalition leaders, including TN Congress chief KS Alagiri and MDMK’s Vaiko, at the party headquarters here. Stalin also named his party-led coalition the “Secular Progressive Alliance.”

Going by the announcement, DMK would take on arch rival AIADMK in less than half (roughly eight) its seats, including Salem -the home turf of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Election Commission (EC) to respond to DMK’s plea seeking a direction for holding by-elections in three vacant assembly seats in Tamil Nadu. A bench of Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer issued notice to the EC and asked it to file reply within two weeks. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is seeking by-polls for Tiruparankundram, Ottapidaram and Aravakurichi assembly constituencies.