85% candidates confirmed, 15% pending: Congress to finalize Tamil Nadu list at CEC meeting today

New Delhi: indian national congress party The party will finalize its candidates for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections at the Central Election Commission (CEC) meeting in Delhi, with 85 per cent candidates already finalized, according to state unit chief K Selvaperunthagai.Selva Peruntage said discussions involving senior leaders such as Mallikarjun Haq and Rahul Gandhi were essentially over and only a small number of seats were left to be finalized.“All Indian National Congress president Mallikarjun Haq, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and senior leaders have discussed the candidates. 85% have decided and 15% are waiting. Today we will take a decision,” he said.The Congress will contest 28 constituencies as part of an alliance led by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, leader of the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA).this DMK retained the lion’s share, deciding to contest 164 of the 234 seats, while allocating the remaining 70 seats to its partners. Apart from the Congress, major allies include the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) with five seats each, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) with eight seats and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazagam (MDMK) with four seats.Other alliance partners include the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) with 10 seats and the Indian Muslim League (IUML) with two seats, as well as smaller regional players.tamil nadu Chief Minister and DMK Chairman Stalin Candidates have been announced for several key constituencies.Stalin will contest from Korattur, while Deputy Chief Minister Udayanidhi Stalin will contest from Chepauk-Tiruvallikni.Other prominent candidates include Mahesh from Kanyakumari, Appavu from Radhapuram, Vahab from Palayamkottai, Kalaikathiravan from Tenkasi and KKSSR Ramachandran from Aruppukottai. Other names include Velu from Mylapore and Ma Subramanian from Saidapet.The main contest in the state is expected to be between the DMK-led SPA and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led NDA, which includes the BJP and PMK.A recent survey by pollster Lok Poll predicted a strong showing for the DMK alliance, which was expected to secure 181 to 189 seats and a vote share of 40.1%. The AIADMK-led alliance is expected to get 38 to 42 seats.Tamil Nadu will go to single-phase polls on April 23 and counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.The last date to submit nominations is April 6, review will take place on April 7, and candidates can withdraw their nominations until April 9.With candidate lists nearing completion and coalitions finalized, political parties are entering the final stages of preparations for campaigning in the state’s closely watched elections.