AIADMK, BJP sign pact; BJP gets 5 of 39 seats

The ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) signed a pact with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday to contest the Lok Sabha elections together, with the BJP allocated five of the 39 seats in the state.

CHENNAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday finalised its alliance with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) for the coming parliamentary elections in Tamil Nadu, a state that sends the fourth highest number of representatives to the Lok Sabha, 39, after Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal.

The BJP will contest five of these seats, and the AIADMK 25. Earlier in the day, the AIADMK announced its partnership with the PMK, which will contest seven seats. The other two seats have been reserved for smaller parties that will be part of the alliance. They are likely to include actor Vijayakant’s Desiya Murpoku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK).

The AIADMK said the PMK will also be allotted a Rajya Sabha berth. Analysts say the AIADMK may also give some seats from its quota to the smaller parties. The BJP and PMK said they will support the AIADMK in bypolls for 21 assembly seats expected to be scheduled at the same time as the Lok Sabha polls.

The move comes a day after the BJP and its long-time partner the Shiv Sena finalised their seat-sharing arrangement in Maharashtra, and, potentially, a day ahead of the Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Congress, which have already decided to go it together in Tamil Nadu, announcing details of their partnership.

Announcing the alliance in Chennai, Union minister Piyush Goyal said: “I am extremely delighted that the AIADMK and the BJP have concluded very fruitful discussions and agreed to contest the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as well as the state assembly bypoll together in an alliance.”