Alliance deal not final, but EPS begins meeting seat aspirants
CHENNAI: Kick-starting the next phase of preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami interviewed seat aspirants at the party headquarters on Sunday, while his bete noire O Panneerselvam held a similar exercise at a hotel in the city. The latter announced this in the eleventh hour after inviting applications on Saturday for the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone one in Puducherry. Commencing the two-day exercise, Palaniswami and senior leaders interviewed aspirants for Tiruvallur (reserved), Chennai North, South and Central, Sriperumbudur and Kancheepuram, and 14 other constituencies in Ranipet, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Salem, Coimbatore and other western districts. The process would continue on Monday for 20 constituencies in Delta and southern districts.
The AIADMK reportedly received around 2,400 applications. The party started the process without finalising the alliance, as there is no clarity yet on the PMK’s stance. “We want to be ready with plan B. So, we are in the process of shortlisting potential candidates for all 40 seats. It will come in handy if our plan A doesn’t work out,” said an insider, hinting at the uncertainty over the PMK joining the alliance.
Stating that alliance talks were going amicably, Palaniswami said, “At present, we are not sure about constituencies that go to our allies. Everyone should keep away their differences and work for the victory of our candidates. If there is any issue, we should sort it out among ourselves.”