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The All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Tamil Maanila Congress reached agreement on Saturday on the 47 constituencies to be contested by the TMC-Congress combine in the assembly election in May, which while showing accommodation and flexibility still leaves a trail of bitterness in TMC ranks.
The list, released early on Saturday, showed that the TMC had been allotted 18 of the seats it holds in the current assembly as also two others of its choice, ending prolonged negotiations. The party will be fielding candidates in 14 new constituencies.
Of the 47 seats, 15 will go to the Congress.
TMC general secretary K S Azhagiri (Chidambaram) and senior legislator A S Ponnammal (Nilakottai) have been deprived of their seats. Fifteen other MLAs, including senior legislator Appavu, will not have a place to contest from this time.
AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha returned to the TMC eight seats that she had earlier allotted to her own party, partially conceding Moopanar's plea. The TMC holds six of these seats at present while two others (Manamadurai and Thondamuthur) are considered winnable for the party.
Earlier, Jayalalitha had taken 21 seats held by the TMC and allotted two of them to the Pattali Makkal Katchi.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly S R Balasubramaniam and TMC treasurer D Sudarsanam, not keen on re-election from their present constituencies, will have two comfortable seats (Kadaladi and Thiruvallur).
The TMC had contested 40 seats and won 39 in the 1996 election as an ally of the ruling DMK. Of those 39 MLAs, one died and five others quit the party.
The seats for the TMC-Congress combine were distributed across all districts except Dindigul, Erode and Salem.
In Madras City, considered the fortress of the DMK, the combine has been allotted five seats as against two held by the TMC.
The Congress does not have representation in the present assembly.
UNI
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