Manickam Tagore refutes resignation rumours amid TN Congress rift

Congress MP Manickam Tagore denied resigning as the party's Tamil Nadu election committee chairman. This comes amid reports of a rift over candidate selection for 28 seats for the upcoming 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Thursday rubbished the reports of his resignation as chairman of the party's Tamil Nadu election management and coordination committee. When asked about the reports, Manickam Tagore told ANI, "Who said that I resigned?"

Rift Over 2026 Seat-Sharing

The Congress leader's statement came amid a speculated rift within the party over deciding the names of the candidates for 28 seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections.

In the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance, the DMK is contesting on 164 out of the 234 constituencies in the state, while 70 seats have been allocated to its alliance partners. These partners include the Congress Party with 28 seats, the Communist Party of India (CPI) with 5 seats, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) with 5 seats, VCK with 8 seats, and MDMK with 4 seats. Other smaller parties in the alliance include the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) with 10 seats, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) with 2 seats, and several other regional parties.

Key Alliances and Electoral Contest

Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23, with counting scheduled for May 4. The main electoral contest is expected between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which includes Congress, DMDK, and the VCK, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by AIADMK with the BJP and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) as allies. Actor-turned-politician Vijay-led TVK is attempting to turn the state elections into a three-way contest.

2021 Assembly Polls Recap

In the 2021 polls, the DMK won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. Congress won 18, PMK won five, VCK won four, and others won eight seats. The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), led by DMK, which consisted of Congress, won 159 seats collectively. While the NDA won 75 seats, the AIADMK emerged as the largest party in the alliance with 66 seats.

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