Cong bowled over by DMK response in allotting Erode East seat

CHENNAI: The State Congress was bowled over by the gesture of the ruling DMK, which did not waste any time in allotting the by-poll bound Erode East constituency to the national party on Thursday. Interactions with Congress seniors revealed that the party did not require any effort to formalise the seat allocation. The DMK, Congress sources said, was ready with the seat allotment announcement even before the Congress delegation visited Anna Arivalayam late Thursday.

Highly placed Congress sources disclosed to this paper that the Congress party delegation was overjoyed by the way the DMK leadership handled the issue. "We thought there would be some negotiation. Shortly after receiving us, Stalin read out the statement and handed us the statement. We learnt that the CM had spoken to our other allies very early in the day and hosted us to only formally announce the decision."

"We were aware of the decision. But we did not expect them to keep even the statement ready, and that too in the name of Secular Progressive Alliance. It is a strong political statement to our enemies,” the Congress senior added. Understandably, the Congress seniors must have been impressed with the Dravidian major making the decision despite pressure from the party functionaries who were vying to secure the by-poll seat. "We were aware that at least three Congress functionaries, DMK joint secretary of propaganda wing V C Chandrakumar, their weaver's wing functionary Sadhasivam and a deputy secretary from Erode were lobbying for the seat. But, the DMK high command got local minister Muthusamy to convince his local functionaries to work for Congress," the Congress leader added.