BJP pressing for 50 seats keeps AIADMK in a fix, delays seat-sharing deal for TN assembly poll

Attempting to bite off more than what it can chew, the BJP is pressing for 50 seats, that too winnable ones, from its dominant NDA partner (in the state) AIADMK , keeping the Dravidian major in a fix and delaying the seat-sharing deal for the upcoming assembly election in Tamil Nadu.

The seat allotment for the BJP by the AIADMK remains elusive despite former AIADMK minister SP Velumani meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah twice during the latter’s recent visit to the state and party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) travelling to the national capital to meet the BJP veteran. Shah is reported to have put his foot down on the party having its way.

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Contrary to public pronouncements of BJP leaders, the saffron party is said to be unwilling to make a climbdown from its initial stand of 50 seats out of the total 234. This is unpalatable to the AIADMK, since it has to accommodate the demands of other allies and potential allies expected to join the alliance. Hence, EPS finds himself in a fix and the delay in finalising the seat-sharing pact with the national ally.

Though the AIADMK re-entered the NDA in April last with the BJP acceding to replace the firebrand K Annamalai as state unit president, the saffron party punching above its weight has forced EPS to drag his feet.

However, swift was the deal with the OBC Vanniyar –dominant Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) faction of Anbumani Ramadoss. It took only an hour-long discussion with a delegation led by Anbumani for EPS to announce that the pact had been agreed upon, though he declined to reveal the number of seats allotted to the new ally.

Despite the split in the PMK, with the father, Ramadoss and the son, Anbumani, heading separate factions and fighting legal battles, the AIADMK had admitted the latter’s faction into the alliance. The personal calculations of EPS, whose victory depends on the Vanniyar votes in his native Edappadi constituency, had played a pivotal role in accommodating Anbumani. Even though the PMK is witnessing erosion in its support base and the split is accentuating it, it is expected to consolidate the AIADMK among the community.

In the 2021 assembly election, the BJP had won four out of the 20 seats it had contested in alliance with the AIADMK. Now, its wish list of 50 seats includes 30 seats held by the ruling DMK, 5 by AIADMK, 6 by Congress, and one each by the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the CPI. Whether the AIADMK bends or EPS tackles this with his manipulation skills remains to be seen, say analysts.