Friday, March 3 2006 16:58 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Tiruchirappalli: Virtually serving an ultimatum to MDMK, DMK President M Karunanidhi today(Mar 3,2006) said it could continue in the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance, if it accepted the offer of 22 seats for the May 8 polls to the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

"Hard bargaining by the MDMK is delaying finalisation of the seat sharing arrangement. Yesterday, when the MDMK leader, Vaiko, spoke to me over telephone, I told him that the DMK could not go beyond 22 seats," he told reporters after the DMK's General Council meeting here.

As the seat sharing arrangement was yet to be finalised, he would not be able to announce the number of seats to be allocated to each constituent in the seven-party alliance at the DMK conference, beginning here tomorrow, as already announced by him.

Asked whether the MDMK stood as a 'stumbling block' in the finalisation of seat sharing arrangement, Karunanidhi said "I leave it for your inference."

The DMK Chief said his party should contest in at least130 seats in the elections.

"This is the barest minimum.I cannot reduce it any further," he said adding in the 2001 assembly polls, the AIADMK, which had an alliance with the Congress, left parties and Indian Union Muslim League,had contested in 140 seats and won 132 seats.