VCK Stakes Claim for Rajya Sabha Seat and More Assembly Seats in DMK Alliance Ahead of Tamil Nadu Polls

In Tamil Nadu’s ever-shifting coalition chessboard, the contest over a Rajya Sabha berth has now drawn in the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), sharpening negotiations within the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance.

The immediate provocation is not new. The Indian National Congress has already been pressing its case for a Rajya Sabha seat. But the VCK’s formal pitch for the same has altered the internal equilibrium, setting off fresh consultations and quiet messaging between allies.

VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan has made it clear that the party will remain with the DMK alliance in the forthcoming Assembly election. That assurance, however, has not prevented the party from driving a harder bargain. Compared to the last election, the VCK is seeking a larger share of Assembly constituencies and a Rajya Sabha berth.

Senior VCK functionaries argue that the six constituencies allotted to them previously did not fully reflect the party’s ground strength. Requests for segments where the party has an established base, they say, were not accommodated. Yet, they add, the decision to stay within the alliance stemmed from ideological conviction rather than electoral arithmetic.

Thirumavalavan had earlier encapsulated this approach in blunt terms: dignity outweighs seat count; the party would argue for more seats if short-changed but would not abandon the alliance. That line continues to guide the VCK’s posture even as pressure mounts from its cadre.

The trigger for the present restlessness is the possibility of new entrants reshaping the allocation formula. Reports that the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), currently engaged in talks, could secure 10 Assembly seats along with a Rajya Sabha berth have not gone down well within VCK ranks.

In internal discussions held over the past few days, VCK office-bearers are understood to have urged their leadership to insist on a minimum of 15 Assembly constituencies and one Rajya Sabha seat. This demand, party sources confirm, has been placed before the DMK high command.

Leaders in the DMK camp have responded with studied restraint. Alliance partners are entitled to press for a larger share, a senior functionary observed, noting that the VCK has consistently reinforced the ideological moorings of the DMK. Chief Minister M. K. Stalin is said to be weighing the options.

According to sources familiar with the talks, the DMK is considering allotting seven Assembly constituencies to the VCK under the current configuration. A final call on the Rajya Sabha seat remains pending. Should that not be conceded, the party could be offered up to eight Assembly seats instead.

For the moment, the negotiations remain contained within the alliance framework. But as each partner stakes its claim, the balance between ideological solidarity and electoral leverage will determine how the DMK stitches together its seat-sharing formula in the weeks ahead.