Chennai: The ruling AIADMK finally inked the poll pact with the DMDK late Sunday evening giving Captain’s party four Lok Sabha seats and thus ending the tortuous bargaining over several days.
“A good decision has been taken. We will contest the elections together”, Deputy Chief Minister and AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam told reporters at the end of the alliance agreement done at a luxury hotel.
He also said the DMDK has agreed to support the AIADMK candidates in the by-elections for the 18 vacant Assembly seats, which are also being held the same day as the LS poll on April 18.
OPS was flanked by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who is also the joint coordinator of the AIADMK and DMDK chief Vijayakant, besides DMDK treasurer Premalatha and DMDK deputy general secretary LK Sudheesh, at a crowded media conference.
DMDK had tried to strike a hard bargain while demanding as many seats at the seven given to the PMK.
Captain's family even tried to open up a parallel track with the DMK hoping to get a better deal but the latter would not yield - DMK treasurer Durai Murugan even announcing the failed attempt to the media and drawing flak from a fuming Premalatha.
While the DMK would not yield to the pressure from Captain's family, the AIADMK-BJP alliance appeared keen from the beginning to sign up with the DMDK since even its reduced vote-share, estimated at around two per cent, could be critical in a closely contested poll. And the present elections, both to the Lok Sabha as well as to the 18 vacant seats in the TN Assembly, are crucial for the BJP and the AIADMK respectively. At the end of the Sunday deal, the AIADMK will still be able to contest from 21 seats while giving away seven to the PMK, five to the BJP, four to DMDK and one each to PT and New Justice party. The NR Congress got the lone LS seat in Puducherry.
