Karti Chidambaram Says Priyanka Gandhi Should Contest in TN

Karti Chidambaram said that Priyanka Gandhi’s win from Tamil Nadu is assured.

This is the second time that Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has proposed that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contest from Tamil Nadu. (Representative image)

(Photo: PTI)

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s win will send a strong message that the Indian National Congress (INC) has a stronghold in Tamil Nadu, said Congress leader Karti Chidambaram on Friday, 5 March. Chidambaram filed an application before the party's state election committee, requesting that she be named as a candidate for the by-polls to Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency.

“I have not done anything dramatic or out-of-the-box in a very long time. This will definitely enthuse the cadre. I also really want her to come into the Parliament and it will be a good sign for women and young people. She is very articulate and outspoken. It will be good,” he told The Quint.

Kanyakumari has been a traditional Congress stronghold. Symbolically it will give a message that Congress is looking up at the entire country, from the southern most constituency.

Karti Chidambaram, Congress MP

The Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat fell vacant last year, after Congress MP Vasanthakumar died of COVID-19. The by-election to Kanyakumari will be held on 6 April, along with the assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the Election Commission announced on 26 February.

This is the second time that the Congress MP from Sivaganga has proposed Gandhi’s name.

In November 2019, he tweeted that if she contests, it will be an “overwhelming victory for herself, the party and the alliance.”

“We need a bold move. Something which will fire up the imagination of the @INCIndia worker. @priyankagandhi must contest the Kanyakumari Parliamentary seat election which is likely to be announced shortly. @INCTamilNadu,” he had tweeted.

‘No Fissures in DMK-Congress Alliance’

This comes at a time when seat-sharing talks between Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Congress have hit several roadblocks. Senior Congress party leaders said on Friday that they may contest elections alone if DMK refuses to give them more than 18 seats to contest. While the Congress had asked for 30 seats, the DMK has been adamant that it can offer only 18.

DMK sources told The Quint they are looking to offer 27 seats, including four Rajya Sabha seats. Congress leaders told they will finalise talks by Saturday.

Karti Chidambaram clarified that, “Communication is very much on between DMK and Congress. We have been in an alliance for more than 15-20 years. We have contested in many elections. There is anti incumbency against the AIADMK government and I think the DMK-Congress alliance will win this election.”

He pointed out that unlike the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress party enjoys the support of the people of Tamil Nadu.

“BJP is not welcome or liked in Tamil Nadu. I am not saying they have no supporters. But the vast majority of people of Tamil Nadu do not subscribe to the Hindi and Hindutva agenda of BJP.”

Karti Chidambaram, Congress MP to <b>The Quint</b>

“When Congress is part of an alliance, it gives the party a national flavour. It also gives a secular feel. It assures the minorities that the party is standing up to the Hindutva (ideology) and the BJP. Also Congress will also give a clear and diverse flavour to the alliance, as opposed to an alliance formed with only regional parties,” he told The Quint.