Chennai, March 23 The NDA, led by the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, finalized seat-sharing arrangements with key alliance constituents for the April 23 Assembly elections on Monday, with the Dravidian party allocating 27 seats to the BJP, 18 to PMK, and 11 to AMMK.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, addressing a crowded press conference at the party headquarters, Puratchi Thalaivar MGR Maaligai, said that talks were also ongoing with other allies, and that a final decision would be reached by tonight.
He said that the names of constituencies to be contested by alliance parties would be identified soon, adding that the seat-sharing talks were cordial.
Elections to the 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 23. Other constituents of the NDA include the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar), led by former union minister G.K. Vasan, and the IJK.
Asked about the number of seats to be contested by the AIADMK, Palaniswami said that talks were ongoing with some parties, and that information would be shared after the conclusion of those talks.
In the presence of leaders of alliance parties, including senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal, PMK top leader Anbumani Ramadoss, and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran, Palaniswami described the alliance led by the AIADMK as one marked by "bonding," and called it a "victorious" combination. He expressed confidence that the alliance would win at least 210 Assembly constituencies out of the total 234.
"The alliance will win, and the AIADMK will form the government," he asserted.
Criticizing the "protracted and delayed" seat-sharing exercise involving "heated exchanges" between the DMK and Congress, he alleged that the CPI(M), which had won six seats in 2021, was now struggling to secure five Assembly seats.
"Piyush Goyal, Nainar Nagenthran L Murugan, Anbumani Ramadoss, and TTV Dhinakaran came in the morning, the decision was made in the afternoon, and the announcement is being made in the evening; see how quickly this has happened. The AIADMK's goal is to dislodge the DMK from power. The media did not criticize the deadlock in the DMK's seat-sharing talks," he said.
Responding to the criticism from the DMK, aimed at him for his visit to Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding seat-sharing, he questioned why DMK MP Kanimozhi had met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi recently. He alleged that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin routinely spreads defamatory content targeting NDA leaders when they visit Delhi.
"My visit to Delhi is to share our opinions and discuss matters related to the Assembly elections; CM Stalin fears whenever we go to Delhi," he said.
Targeting the DMK for blaming the AIADMK over alliance-related matters, he criticized the ruling party for aligning with the Congress party, which had imposed the infamous Emergency (1975-77) and also invoked MISA against detainees during that period.
PMK leader Anbumani said that he had gone to Delhi days ago to sign documents in the Rajya Sabha and that he had not met Amit Shah.
