Villupuram, March 20 The PMK, led by its founder S. Ramadoss, and AIPTMMK, a new outfit headed by VK Sasikala, confidante of the late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, entered into an agreement on Friday to jointly contest the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Announcing the decision at a crowded press conference in Thailapuram near here, Ramadoss said: "This is a victorious alliance; this combine will win big."
Further, the octogenarian leader said that the Pattali Makkal Katchi-All India Puratchi Thalaivar Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam alliance would have a significant impact in Tamil Nadu, and there was no need for any doubt about it.
"Signing this agreement today would have made several people tremble," he claimed.
In response to a question, Ramadoss said the alliance would field candidates "in all the 234 assembly constituencies" and welcomed like-minded parties to join. "We need to do good for the people, and this is the basis for forming this alliance," he said.
Sasikala said they had a meeting and decided to contest the elections together in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and the alliance's candidates would win. "This is a good decision. We are contesting together," she said.
Ramadoss's son, Anbumani-led faction of the PMK, has already joined the NDA led by the AIADMK, and Sasikala's close relative, TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK, is also part of the NDA.
Ramadoss and Sasikala belong to the Vanniyar and Mukkulathor communities, which are influential in northern and southern districts, respectively. Mukkulathor are among the dominant communities in several parts of the Cauvery delta region, such as Thanjavur and Tiruvarur.