AIADMK SEALS POLL DEAL WITH ALLY PMK, ALLOTS 23 OF 234 SEATS

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Saturday sealed a sharing deal with Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) by allotting the latter 23 seats of the 234 assembly constituencies in the state where elections are slated for April 6.

A day after the election commission announced dates for poll-bound states, the AIADMKLED NDA alliance began seatsharing talks on Saturday morning, first with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and later with the PMK.

Talks were smooth sailing with the PMK whom the AIADMK took on board on Friday. Chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami’s last act before the model code of conduct came into effect was to pass a bill offering a 10.5% internal quota for the Vanniyar community in educational institutions and appointments in government services and jobs within the existing reservation for Most Backward Classes.

“We scaled down our demand for the seats since the government fulfilled our demand for the Vanniyar reservation,” PMK leader and former Union minister Anbumani Ramadoss said.

Meanwhile, the BJP’S Tamil Nadu unit and election in-charges met Palaniswami and his deputy O Paneerselvam at their official residences on Saturday. Union home minister Amit Shah was scheduled to reach Chennai on Saturday for rallies in Puducherry and TN on Sunday. “He is likely to meet the AIADMK CM and deputy chief minister in Chennai after his rallies on Sunday,” said a senior BJP leader.