In a late-night development, the ruling AIADMK signed a deal with the BJP, allocating it to 20 assembly seats and the Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha (by-election) seat for the April 6 election.
Earlier in the day, DMK sealed an agreement for six seats with CPI, the fourth affiliate to sign the seat-sharing agreement.
Congress MP H.K. The post of Kanniyakumari was vacant due to the death of Vasanthakumar.
O. on the seat-sharing agreement in the ruling camp. Of Panneerselvam, Coordinator, and Edappadi. Palaniswamy, co-coordinator of AIADMK, CT Ravi, national general secretary of BJP in-charge of Tamil Nadu, and L. Murugan, BJP Tamil Nadu President “It has been decided that AIADMK and BJP will be part of an alliance to face the assembly elections on 6 April. Based on an agreement reached between AIADMK and BJP today [Friday]The statement said that it has been decided to allot 20 seats to the BJP under the AIADMK-led coalition.
The announcement came after several rounds of talks between the two parties when Home Minister Amit Shah held talks with the top two leaders of the AIADMK following his visit to Puducherry on Sunday.
In another development, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, his deputy o. Panneerselvam and four others were included in the AIADMK’s first list for the assembly elections released on Friday.
Mr. Palaniswami is trying his luck again from his home constituency, Edappadi. He was elected from the seat in 1989, 1991, 2011 and 2016. Mr. Panneerselvam has been nominated from Bodinayakanur from where he was elected in 2011 and 2016. On two other occasions, he represented Periyakulam.
Minister D. Jayakumar and C.V. Shanmugam has been elected to its respective constituencies of Chennai and Royapuram in Villupuram. This will be the seventh time when Shri Jayakumar is being fielded from Royapuram. He lost only in 1996. Two others – S.P. Shanmuganathan and S.K. Thenmohi – has been elected from its constituencies of Srivikuntam and Neelakkotai (reserved).
A senior official said the six candidates represented a good mix of communities – Vellala Gounder, Mukuluthor, Meenawar, Vanniyar, Nadar and Scheduled Caste. Another official said that the remaining candidates will be announced by Tuesday.
In Anna Arivalayam, DMK President MK Stalin and CPI State Secretary R.K. Muthrasan signed the agreement. “We interacted amicably to ensure the victory of the secular progressive alliance led by the DMK,” said Muthrasan. Between the number of seats and idealism, the latter was important in this election as the objective was to prevent communal powers from entering Tamil Nadu.
The DMK is yet to finalize seat-sharing with CPI (M) and MDMK, while talks with Congress have been inconclusive. The CPI-M has called its secretariat meeting on Saturday. The seat sharing issue will be discussed in the meeting, which will include General Secretary Sitaram Yechury. Similarly, the high-level committee of MDMK will meet to decide on the proposal for seats made by DMK.
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