Chennai, Mar 21:
The BJP-led NDA, which is cobbling up a formidable alliance after its key partner AIADMK had severed its ties, has finalised the seat sharing agreement with its new found ally, the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, besides the New Justice Party (NJP) and Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu.
As per the agreement, the BJP, which will be taking on the two Dravidian majors, the ruling DMK and the AIADMK in the April 19 polls, has allotted two seats to the AMMK headed by TTV Dhinakaran.
It also allotted one seat each to the fringe parties–the NJP led by A.C.Shanmugam and the TMMK headed by John Pandian.
The seat-sharing arrangement was signed by BJP State president K. Annamalai with the respective party leaders on Wednesday evening.
The inking of pact with the three parties comes in the backdrop of the BJP roping in PMK as a key partner in its front by allotting ten seats to it.
The seat sharing with other allies including former chief ministerO.Panneerselvam, Tamil Maanila Congress of G.K.Vasan, and IJK, which has been promised the Perambalur seat from where its Founder Paarivendhar will seek re-election, will be finalised in the next one or two days and the constituencies identified.
The BJP’s list of candidates and that of alliance parties were also expected by tomorrow as the filing of Nominations for the elections has started and would end on March 27.
The main Opposition AIADMK in Tamil Nadu clinched seat sharing deal with the DMDK of late actor-politician Vijayakanth, Puthiya Tamilagam (PT) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).
The AIADMK had already severed its ties with former ally the BJP and had walked out of the NDA, while another partner, PMK, though initially inclined for a tie up with the Dravidian party and was all set to sign the seat sharing deal, suddenly shifted to the BJP-led alliance.
Asked whether the PMK-BJP alliance had caused disappointment, especially as PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss was elected to the Rajya Sabha with the help of the AIADMK a few years ago, Mr. Palaniswami replied in the negative.
He said the AIADMK is an organisation that was more than five-decades old and stands on its own feet. “If others come to us for an alliance, we are happy. If they do not come, we are still happy”, he added.
Filing of nominations for the April 19 single phase elections for 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu began on yesterday with the issuance of the notification.
