Ahead of Tamil Nadu assembly polls, AIADMK, DMK intensify seat sharing parleys with allies

For the first time, both the AIADMK and the DMK are facing an Assembly election without their two tall leaders and late Chief Ministers J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi, who passed away in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

Single phase polling would be held on April six to elect representatives from 234 Assembly constituencies in the State.

Though the AIADMK has inked the deal with its ally PMK, allotting 23 seats to the Vanniyar-dominated party, it was yet to seal the pact with other allies, including the BJP, DMDK led by actor-politician Vijayakanth and Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) of former Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan, though a couple of round of talks were held.

PMK is facing Assembly polls in the company of AIADMK after a gap of 20 years.

The New Justice Party and Puthiya Tamilagam are the other minor allies of the AIADMK.

However, reports said that the AIADMK will most likely finalise the deal either today or tomorrow as only eight days were left for the filing of nominations to open and constituencies have to be identified with the alliance partners and candidates has to be selected.

BJP sources indicated that it wanted to finalise the pact before Union Home Minister Amit Shah's second round of visit this weekend during which he was likely to address an election rally at Kanniyakumari of Nagercoil.

BJP State President L Murugan said the talks were being held in a cordial manner and the numbers to be allotted to it would be decided soon.

The DMDK seems to be unhappy over the alliance talks and its Treasurer Premalatha Vijayakanth openly said that party was not given due recognition by the AIADMK.

The DMDK team have also expressed displeasure over the number of seats offered by the AIADMK. After once ignoring the AIADMK's call for talks, the
ruling party made yet another appeal following which second round of talks were held last evening.

Though what transpired at the meeting was not known, reports indicated that the DMDK in all probability might get a Rajya Sabha seat to clinch the deal.

On the other hand, the seat sharing picture on the Opposition DMK Front was not that rosy as its key ally, the Congress, while claiming that the talks are
'cordial, was expected to take a key decision after holding consultations with its District Secretaries tomorrow.

Reports said that the DMK offered less number of seats to the Congress as it has to accommodate other allies.

TNCC President K S Alagiri, however, refused to divulge how many seats the National party has sought and the numbers offered by the DMK, which had
finalised the deal with minior allies IUML and MMK.

''They (DMK delegation) need to talk to their leaders, and so do we,'' Mr Alagiri said.

After two rounds of talks, other allies like the CPI, CPI(M) and VCK are bargaining for more seats, but it did not found favour with the DMK. Their leaders said they
would hold discussions with their respective party members and come back for talks.

CPI(M) State secretary K Balakrishnan said, "We have insisted on our numbers and they have expressed their difficulties vis-a-vis allocation to other coalition partners."

The DMK had also held talks with another ally, the MDMK led by Vaiko.

Senior DMK leader K N Nehru said that the DMK was not adopting a big brother attitude in allotting seats to its allies, when asked about the apparent displeasure expressed by a couple of alliance partners.

DMK sources said the seat sharing deal was expected to be finalised soon.

Meanwhile, the talk of a 'Third Front' led by Makkal Neethi Maiam Founder and actor-politician Kamal Haasan also gained momentum, with AISMK of actor R Sarathkumar and IJK led by Lok Sabha MP Paarivendhar agreeing to work with Kamal.

While Sarathkumar walked out of the AIADMK Front saying he was not invited for talks, IJK came out of the DMK Front. Sarathkumar and IJK President Ravi Pachamuthu had met Kamal and said they would face the polls under the Front headed by Kamal Haasan.

Another player in the electoral fray is AMMK of T T V Dhinakaran, who is the nephew of late J Jayalalithaa's close aide V K Sasikala.

Though Sasikala was expelled as the interim general Secretary of the AIADMK, she had been maintaining that she was the 'real' General Secretary (GS) and was keen on retrieving AIADMK. She had also issued statement on Jayalalithaa's birth anniversary as the GS of AIADMK.

Dhinakaran had been stating that he was ready to accommodate any party which accepts the AMMK as the leader of the Front.

Though this election appears to be a multi-cornered contest as things stands now, with Naam Tamizhar Party of actor Seeman going it alone, the main fight was expected to be between the AIADMK and the DMK as has been the norm in every elections.