Chennai, March 18 -- After bargaining for higher seats, more than the six it had contested in 2021, the Communist Party of India (CPI) yielded to the 'request' of the ruling DMK, heading the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in Tamil Nadu, and signed the seat sharing pact for the April 23 Assembly elections, agreeing for five seats, on Wednesday.
After three rounds of hard bargaining and despite remaining stubborn in its demand for higher numbers this time, the CPI eventually agreed to the DMK's request to scale down its demand citing entry of new parties into the alliance, and signed the pact.
The CPI then insisted for at least six seats, the same numbers allotted last year. But the DMK kept requesting it to give up one seat.
After the...