Assembly polls: Kharge, Rahul to hold talks with TN Congress leaders in Delhi today

Chennai, Jan 17 (IANS) In a key political development ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the top leadership of the Indian National Congress is set to hold crucial consultations with state party leaders in New Delhi on Saturday to chalk out alliance strategies and election preparedness.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will meet senior leaders of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee at Indira Bhavan, the party’s headquarters in Delhi, at 4 p.m.

The meeting is being closely watched as Congress intensifies its preparations for the high-stakes state election.

According to party sources, the discussions will focus on alliance negotiations, seat-sharing arrangements, and the broader electoral strategy to be adopted in Tamil Nadu.

With the Assembly polls approaching, the Congress high command has sought direct inputs from the state leadership to assess political realities on the ground and fine-tune its campaign roadmap.

TNCC president K. Selvaperunthagai, along with senior Congress executives and key organisational functionaries, will participate in the deliberations.

The leadership is expected to review the Congress party’s current standing within the ruling alliance, its organisational strength across districts, and the scope for expanding its political footprint in the state.

The meeting assumes added significance amid internal voices within the Congress seeking a greater role in governance and a stronger bargaining position within the alliance.

At the same time, political discussions in Tamil Nadu have been influenced by debates over the Congress party’s stance towards actor-turned-politician Vijay and his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), particularly on issues related to secularism, democracy, and opposition unity.

Notably, today’s consultation is being held a day earlier than originally planned, underlining the urgency attached to the Tamil Nadu election by the Congress leadership.

Party sources interpret this as a signal that the high command intends to play a more hands-on role in shaping decisions related to alliances, leadership coordination, and campaign messaging in the state.

With alliance talks expected to gather momentum in the coming weeks, the outcome of today’s meeting is likely to have a significant bearing on the Congress party’s electoral strategy in Tamil Nadu and the broader opposition landscape as the Assembly election approaches.

–IANS

aal/svn