Though the AIADMK had re-entered the NDA in April last, seat sharing has not been finalised even with the BJP while other allies are still awaiting their turn.
File Photo: IANS
Seat-sharing talks in the NDA for the upcoming Tamil Nadu elections continued to remain elusive as AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K
Palaniswamy (EPS), heading the alliance in the state, is playing his cards close to his chest keeping in mind the party’s interest to contest more seats to secure a majority of its own.
Though the AIADMK had re-entered the NDA in April last, seat sharing has not been finalised even with the BJP while other allies are still awaiting their turn. This despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi having visited the poll-bound state three times in a month and a half. BJP rank and file were expecting that the deal would be sealed when Modi addressed the NDA’s campaign rally in Madurai on March 1. But, their
hopes have vanished into thin air.
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Contrast this with the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which has completed the agreements on seat sharing with the IUML,
Congress and the MDMK of Vaiko. The DMK is all set to complete the process shortly with the VCK of Thol Thirumavalavan and the Left Parties besides others including new entrant, the DMDK of Premalatha Vijayakanth. Despite the DMK having more than 20 constituents, party president and Chief Minister MK Stalin maintains that some more parties are likely to join the front.
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Even though Union Minister Piyush Goyal, the saffron party’s points man for Tamil Nadu, has had a few rounds of talks with EPS and the
latter having held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the AIADMK leader remains unyielding. “EPS is firm that the AIADMK should contest not less than 160 seats so that the party would be able to secure a majority of its own. On the contrary, the BJP not only wants
a lion’s share for itself but is pressing to leave it to decide the share of other constituent allies. This is not acceptable to EPS as it would undermine the AIADMK and his ambition of becoming the Chief Minister,” said AIADMK sources adding, “the saffron party’s game plan
appears to be restricting the AIADMK’s share so that there could be a coalition government in the vent of the alliance winning the
election.”
Even on inducting new parties into the alliance, EPS is measured in his approach. While the BJP has reportedly engaged in talks with Vijay
to rope in his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) into the NDA, EPS is not amused. The bait of Deputy CM for Vijay with 40 to 50 assembly seats for the TVK, has rattled EPS, who considers the TVK as an untested party. And Piyush Goyal has recently said that “it is up to EPS to decide on bringing in the TVK into the NDA fold.” For EPS, conceding more than what is legitimate for the TVK would amount to accepting a
coalition government. With the Election Commission expected to announce the schedule of the assembly polls anytime, EPS continues to keep the allies including the BJP waiting, testing their patience.
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