Tamil Nadu Elections: Rahul Gandhi Rejects Congress List Amid Seat Sharing Row

Chennai: With the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections just weeks away, internal discord within the Congress has surfaced over the delay in finalising its candidate list, triggering concern at the top leadership level.

Sources indicate that Rahul Gandhi has expressed dissatisfaction over the proposed list of candidates submitted by the Tamil Nadu unit. The development comes amid allegations that candidate selection may have been influenced by monetary considerations — a charge that has further intensified scrutiny within the party.

Rahul Gandhi, who chaired a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee, is learnt to have rejected the initial list and directed state leaders to prepare a revised version. Senior leaders including Girish Chodankar and K Selvaperunthagai have reportedly been tasked with reworking the list ahead of the next review.

Seat Sharing and Mounting Pressure

The Congress, an ally of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, has been allotted 28 constituencies as part of the alliance agreement. Key constituencies include Ponneri, Sriperumbudur, Sholingur, Udhagamandalam, Erode East, Aranthangi, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Karaikudi, Sivakasi, Thiruvadanai, and Srivaikuntam, among others.

In addition, constituencies such as Nanguneri, Kulachal, Vilavancode, Killiyoor, Velachery, Uthangarai, Thuraiyur, Kavundampalayam, Athoor, Pennagaram, Singanallur, Ambasamudram, Krishnagiri, Usilampatti, Sankarankovil, and Melur have also been allocated to the party.

The Congress is expected to directly contest against the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in at least 18 of these seats, raising the stakes for candidate selection.

Internal Dissent and Leadership Challenge

Tensions escalated during internal discussions, with several Members of Parliament voicing dissatisfaction over seat allocations. Karti Chidambaram is believed to have expressed displeasure over not being allotted the Sivaganga constituency.

Similarly, a heated argument reportedly broke out after a party functionary questioned why Pattukkottai was not secured during negotiations. Adding to the unrest, the party’s fishermen wing has objected to the Kulachal constituency not being reserved for a candidate from the fishing community.

Meeting Deferred, Fresh List Expected

With just a day left for nomination filing, the delay has created urgency within the party ranks. The Central Election Committee meeting has now been postponed to March 30, giving the leadership additional time to finalise a revised and screened candidate list.

Party insiders suggest that the new list will undergo stricter scrutiny before being released, in an effort to contain dissent and ensure electoral competitiveness.