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He said the Congress has urged Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin to finalise the alliance by December 15 to allow time for candidate selection.
AICC Tamil Nadu In-Charge Girish Chodankar. (ANI)
All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, on Monday reiterated that the Congress is not merely seeking power but is preparing to contest elections with a clear strategy and vision.
“It’s not a question of whether we are asking for power. If you’re fighting an election, you have to fight with full strategies. We will have a full-fledged manifesto committee. The Congress party will present its own vision for Tamil Nadu, give our guarantees to Tamil voters, and implement them by sharing power and being part of the government,” he said.
Speaking on alliance talks, Girish said discussions are currently underway. He said that after DMK leaders met Congress leaders, the party constituted a five-member negotiation committee to initiate alliance talks with the DMK.
He added that the Congress has approached the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin and urged him to finalise the alliance by December 15, so that the party gets sufficient time to identify and select candidates for the elections.
“Now the ball is completely in the court of the DMK, and we are waiting for them,” he said.
The Congress had contested 25 seats in Tamil Nadu in the 2021 Assembly poll, and won 18.
DMK negotiators are expected to weigh the Congress demands carefully because, as the principal party, it carries the largest electoral burden and must also work to secure victories for allies.
The DMK–Congress alliance has remained largely intact for nearly two decades since 2004, barring a brief split between 2013 and 2016 over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. The two parties reunited for the 2016 Assembly election and have since contested four Assembly elections together.
Despite possible differences, the alliance is expected to continue beyond the 2026 Assembly election, united in opposition to the BJP.
Tamil Nadu, India, India
December 22, 2025, 19:02 IST
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