DMK leader Kanimozhi urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to allot separate seating for DMK MPs following the end of the party’s alliance with Congress in Tamil Nadu.
May 8, 2026: Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Saturday requested Om Birla to change the seating arrangement of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MPs in the Lok Sabha, citing “changed political circumstances” after the end of the party’s alliance with the Indian National Congress. In her letter to the Speaker, Kanimozhi said it would no longer be appropriate for DMK members to continue sitting alongside Congress MPs in the House.
Kanimozhi requested that separate seating be allotted to DMK parliamentarians to help them discharge their responsibilities effectively. The move comes days after Congress formally ended its two-decade-long alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu and extended support to actor-politician Vijay and his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, ahead of government formation discussions in the state.
The alliance split has intensified political tensions between the former allies. DMK leaders accused Congress of failing to change its “old political character” despite receiving political support under the Secular Progressive Alliance. Congress, meanwhile, defended its decision by stating that its support for TVK was aimed at preventing “communal forces” from gaining influence in Tamil Nadu politics.