Sunday, February 19 2006 13:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In the midst of flutter caused by reports of the possible exit of MDMK, Congress expects a trouble-free seat sharing among parties in the DMK-led alliance for Tamil Nadu polls, but is cautious on the issue of power-sharing apparently keeping in view the sensitivities of Karunanidhi on the ticklish issue.

"Coalition is a new concept. The issue is not before us. We have not applied our mind on it. Our first priority now is on seat sharing and identify the constituencies and work for the success of the partners," senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily, who is in charge of party affairs in Tamil Nadu, told sources.

Moily's cautious response is in the backdrop of the controversy last year following Union Minister E V K S Elangovan's remarks that Congress should share power in the state which was strongly objected to by the DMK.

Noting that Karunanidhi himself had remarked that everyone should be ready to make sacrifices for the success for the DPA alliance, he felt that 'mutual respect' for alliance partners and a 'give and take approach' would help ease the task.

Moily would be going to Chennai by the end of this month for seat sharing talks with DMK leadership and he said that the whole process was expected to be over by the first week of next month when Congress President Sonia Gandhi would be attending a conference being organised by DMK.