The impending Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu has got the various parties in alliance talks to ensure success in the polls. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has stated that there is no possibility of an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and thus, is looking at parties within the state now. Meanwhile, the BJP is also looking at smaller parties in Tamil Nadu. On the other hand, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has already finalised the alliances.
Senior AIADMK leader CV Shanmugam met PMK founder S Ramadoss at his home in Thailapuram (Tindivanam) on February 5. But Ramadoss reportedly did not commit to the AIADMK since the BJP is also in touch with them. The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) led by late Captain Vijayakanth’s wife, Premalatha Vijayakanth, is already in seat-sharing talks with the BJP.
The Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) led by TTV Dhinakaran is also in talks with the saffron party. According to reports, AMMK’s TTV Dhinakaran has sent a wishlist of 22 constituencies to the BJP national leadership. These include Theni, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Trichy, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Arakkonam, Arani, Salem, Madurai, Thoothukudi, South Chennai, Chidambaram, Tenkasi, Tiruvannamalai, Dindigul, Pollachi, Virudhunagar and Tirunelveli.
Senior politician, O Panneerselvam, who was ousted from the AIADMK, is likely to be part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and has been asked for preferred constituencies too reportedly by the BJP.
When the media questioned why AIADMK had still not closed the alliance talks, AIADMK deputy general secretary KP Munusamy told the media, “The AIADMK will show this in action instead of answering questions of the media.
Please wait and see. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami will forge a mega alliance and win the election.”
In an interview to Daily Thanthi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was asked about whether the BJP and AIADMK would patch up, and he replied, “All doors are open.” He also stated Tamil Nadu was an important state for the BJP.