Chennai, March 26 With the battle lines clearly drawn, the opposition AIADMK has made a strategic move to challenge the DMK in certain urban centers considered to be the ruling party's stronghold.
Determined to win over 210 out of 234 Assembly constituencies in the state, the AIADMK has announced that it will contest from 169 seats, while the DMK has prepared its election machinery for as many as 175 constituencies. For its part, the Stalin-led party has set a target to secure over 200 seats.
The AIADMK will compete with the DMK in approximately 13 constituencies (out of 16) in Chennai, where the Chief Minister, M K Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister, Udhayanidhi, Health Minister, Ma Subramanian, and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister, P K Sekar Babu, are prominent figures within the DMK. The AIADMK has allocated three seats to its allies while retaining 13.
While the Naam Tamilar Katchi, led by Seeman, is contesting in all constituencies, actor-politician Vijay is preparing to announce his TVK party candidates for 234 seats in this high-stakes election. He is likely to launch his campaign this week. Only these two leaders with a background in the film industry will be challenging the Dravidian major parties, which are backed by numerous political parties, in the April 23 elections. The results will be announced on May 4.
The NDA led by the AIADMK includes the BJP, which will contest from 27 seats, the PMK: 18, AMMK: 11, TMC (M): 5 (on the BJP's Lotus symbol), as well as the Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi: 2, and 1 each to the Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam and Puratchi Bharatham, thus allocating 65 seats.
The AIADMK has secured a significant number of seats, accounting for 169. Palaniswami finalized the seat-sharing agreement with seven political parties in two days, starting on March 23. On March 25, he announced the constituencies from which the constituents will contest and launched the NDA campaign from Mylapore in Chennai, where the BJP is contesting.
In the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, the Congress will contest from 28 seats, DMDK: 10, VCK: 8, left parties: 5 each, and MDMK: 4, and 1 each to SDPI, Mukkulathor Puli Padai Katchi (both parties contesting in the Rising Sun symbol), and Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi, and 2 each to IUML, the Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi, and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi.
The KMDK and MMK are expected to contest polls under the DMK's symbol. The MDMK will contest in 3 out of the 4 seats it has been allocated by the DMK, using the 'Rising Sun' symbol.
The campaign is likely to intensify from next week, when the formal filing of nomination papers will begin on March 30.