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Vazhapadi triggers fresh crisis in DMK-led alliance

An angry Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress last night decided to contest two Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu, rejecting the offer of one seat by the Pattali Makkal Katchi, thus triggering a fresh crisis in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance in the state.

A high-level committee of the TRC, which met in Madras following the PMK's "unilateral" announcement of candidates for four more seats, decided to renominate party president and Union Petroleum Minister Vazhapadi K Ramamurthy for the Salem seat and put up V Mummudiarasan from Rasipuram reserved constituency.

Under the seat-sharing exercise, the PMK and TRC were together allotted nine seats.

The TRC was driven to the wall with the PMK announcing earlier in the day its candidate for the Rasipuram seat also, leaving no option for the breakaway Congress faction but to contest just one seat (Salem).

Only yesterday, the week-long deadlock between the DMK and the Marumalarchi DMK over seat-sharing and identification of constituencies was resolved amicably.

PMK founder-leader S Ramadoss and Ramamurthy had met in Madras last night to sort out the issue, but the talks did not bear fruit.

UNI

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