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Sonia envoys' talks with Jaya flounder on seat sharing

Congress Working Committee members Manmohan Singh and A K Antony today held discussions with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam General Secretary J Jayalalitha on the question of alliance between the two parties for the coming Lok Sabha elections.

The talks, which lasted one hour, were held at Jayalalitha's Poes Garden residence in Madras.

Emerging from the talks, Singh told newsmen that he would report the outcome of the talks to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

He declined to say whether there was substantial progress in the talks. ''I have nothing to report to you (media),'' he quipped.

Singh also declined to answer a query whether the talks were cordial.

This was in stark contrast to the mood on June 3 last, when the two leaders had held the first round of talks with Jayalalitha. A beaming Singh had patiently answered newsmen's queries then.

Singh and Antony had arrived in the city this morning, but met Jayalalitha only at 4 pm.

Both the leaders declined to speak to reporters even on their arrival at the airport this morning.

Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry together have 40 Lok Sabha seats (39 in Tamil Nadu and one in the Union territory.)

The Congress is reportedly demanding a majority of the seats for itself as per an earlier formula evolved by AIADMK founder-leader and late chief minister M G Ramachandran. Jayalalitha is said to be offering only a limited number of seats.

The Congress had not won any Lok Sabha seat from the state in the last two elections. Besides, the party had split, with G K Moopanar forming the Tamil Maanila Congress, which bagged three seats in the last election in the company of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Moopanar is now keeping equal distance from both the DMK-BJP front and the AIADMK-led front.

UNI

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