Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) chief K Selvaperunthagai on Saturday denied any knowledge regarding a purported meeting between Congress functionary Praveen Chakravarty and actor-politician Vijay concerning a possible alliance, stating the claim appeared illogical.
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Selvaperunthagai stressed that the Congress high command had already constituted a five-member committee under Girish Chodankar (AICC Tamil Nadu in-charge) to hold formal discussions on seat-sharing with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president and Chief Minister MK Stalin.
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The panel called on Stalin โ the leader of the Secular Progressive Alliance โ on December 4 and informally commenced the process of discussing seat-sharing.
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The other members of the committee, led by Chodankar, include Selvaperunthagai himself, Congress Legislature Party leader Rajesh Kumar, and AICC secretaries Suraj MN Hegde and Nivedith Alva.
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The Congress, which won 18 out of 25 seats it contested in alliance with the DMK in the 2021 Assembly election, is reportedly aiming to contest more seats this time.
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Responding to a direct question about the reported meeting between Chakravarty and Vijay, who heads the Tamilaga Vettri Kahagam, Selvaperunthagai replied, “I don’t know about it. The AICC has nominated a five-member committee under Girish Chodankarโ What you are saying is surprising. We are with the DMK.”
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When the reporter persisted, the Congress leader said, “I really don’t know what to say. There was no coverage in the media to say the meeting took place. I can’t react to speculation.” He concluded by expressing hope that the DMK would not underestimate the strength of Congress and would allot them a modest number of seats this time.
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