Puducherry Seat-Sharing Crisis: Chidambaram Eyes Stalin Fix

As Puducherry braces for its April 9 Assembly showdown, a critical Sunday meeting between P. Chidambaram and M.K. Stalin could determine the fate of the DMK-Congress front. With nominations tomorrow, the seat allocation deadlock threatens to derail their anti-BJP push.

Negotiations have hit rock bottom. Congress seeks a lion’s share of 17 seats, tentatively allotting 11 to DMK and one apiece to VCK and CPI. DMK’s demand for equality has created an unyielding stalemate after exhaustive parleys.

The weekend’s events laid bare the tensions: DMK’s team, spearheaded by MP Jagathrakshakan, waited fruitlessly for 12 hours at a hotel. Congress skipped, opting for an internal conclave under Girish Chodankar without DMK input.

Undeterred, Jagathrakshakan updated Chennai on the stalemate, leaving doors ajar for reconciliation. Yet, with hours dwindling, DMK mulls independent paths or fresh alliances.

Analysts view the high-level huddle as potentially transformative. A breakthrough would fortify the challenge to incumbent powers; discord could hand advantages to rivals.

Puducherry’s politics, long a BJP stronghold via AINRC ties, hangs in balance. This saga highlights the fragile nature of opposition coalitions, where local ambitions clash with strategic necessities, shaping not just this poll but future alignments.