CHENNAI, March 8 -- After weeks of dilly-dallying, the DMK allocated 25 seats to the Indian National Congress on Sunday for the upcoming election to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The DMK will contest on 180 seats in the House of 234.

The deal was signed by DMK chief MK Stalin and president of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee KS Alagiri in the presence of All India Congress Committee leader Dinesh Gundu Rao.

"The DMK and the Congress have sealed the seat-sharing deal. The Congress will contest on 25 Assembly seats and the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat. Both cadre will now work together. We will win big," Rao said.

The gloom on the face of Alagiri and Rao during the photo session made it clear that the Congress had to eat humble pie in ...