Senior DMK leader Kanimozhi’s meeting with TMC chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has triggered speculations of a regional front against the NDA, excluding the Congress party, in the next Lok Sabha elections.
The meeting took place at Mamata's residence at Kolkata’s Kalighat on Thursday. Kanimozhi arrived at the former Chief Minister’s residence around 3:40 pm, and the two leaders had a face-to-face meeting for over an hour. Kanimozhi left around 5 pm, according to reports.
Kanimozhi’s visit comes in the wake of October 6 bypolls to Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal, where the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction and Congress contest separately. Unconfirmed reports claim the TMC expressed willingness to give that seat to the Congress and reached out to Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal in this regard. However, Congress did not respond to her.
The TMC announced Sanchita Pradhan (Dey) as its candidate in Nandigram and Rabiul Alam Chowdhury in Rejinagar, while Congress has also fielded candidates in the two constituencies.
While there have so far been no official or public discussions to indicate the formation of any alliance against the BJP, Kanimozhi’s recent visits to other political leaders have added fuel to the fire. Some discussions say the union will exclude Congress.
Before Kanimozhi visited Kolkata, she met Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai. Shiv Sena(UBT) MPs Anil Desai and Milind Narvekar were also present during the meeting, which lasted nearly an hour. The leaders reportedly discussed the delimitation Bill’s defeat in Parliament, the Congress’ current approach towards the BJP and the future course of the INDIA bloc, as per official sources.
Kanimozhi reportedly discussed greater cooperation among state-based parties opposed to the delimitation proposals. The two leaders also exchanged views on the feasibility of creating a broader platform for regional forces.
Her next stop was Delhi to hold separate meetings with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and his daughter and MP Supriya Sule. The meeting also came in the wake of reports that there is a rift between the NCP (SP) and Congress in Maharashtra, amid the chatter of an NCP reunion.
These meetings are seen as significant after the DMK formally severed ties with the Congress following the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, when the latter decided to support the ruling TVK. The DMK also walked out of the INDI Alliance.
DMK did not attend the meeting of the INDI Alliance meeting in June. Before the monsoon session of Parliament, Kanimozhi wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting separate seating for DMK MPs, which was granted.
