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AIADMK gets allies' commitment

Counting of votes will take place on May 23 and results announced the same day.

Chennai: The Lok Sabha elections in 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu, as well as by-elections for the 18 vacant seats in the State Assembly, will be held on April 18 in the second phase of the seven-phased Parliament polls announced by the Election Commission on Sunday. Election for the lone LS seat in the neighbouring Union Territory of Puducherry will also be held on the same day.

By-elections will not be held in three of the 21 vacant Assembly seats -Aravakurichi, Ottapidaram and Thiruparankundram - because of poll petitions pending in the courts, TN Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo told reporters at his office late evening. He said there were enough number of EVMs and VVPATs for holding the Lok Sabha elections and the by-polls simultaneously.

As per the poll schedule announced by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora in Delhi, nominations must be filed by March 26 and the last date for withdrawals is March 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 23 and results announced the same day.

Within hours of the EC announcing the poll schedule, the AIADMK inked the alliance pact with the 'difficult' DMDK, allocating four LS seats to it and thus bringing to an end the tortuous negotiations it has been having with Captain's family the last few of weeks even as the latter opened up a parallel track to bargain with the DMK. The DMDK deal leaves the AIADMK with 21 seats of the total 39 in TN, after giving foe-turned-ally PMK seven seats, the BJP five, Puthiya Tamizhagam and Puthiya Neethi Katchi one seat each. The NR-Congress has been given the lone seat in Puducherry.

The AIADMK has managed to get a commitment from all its allies pledging they would support its candidates in the Assembly by-elections, which are crucial for the ruling party to retain majority in the 234-member Assembly that has a belligerent Opposition breathing down its neck. The DMK plus allies have 97 MLAs in the House that has 21 vacant seats, including 18 fallen vacant following the disqualification of rebel AIADMK members owing allegiance to VK Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran.

Winning 'handsomely' in the RK Nagar Assembly by-election, caused by the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaaa, TTV Dhinakaran has emerged as the third axis of political reckoning in Tamil Nadu after the AIADMK and the DMK. And so, the state will witness a three-cornered poll battle on April 18, not taking into account actor Kamal Haasan's Makkal Neethi Maiam that's contesting alone. The DMK has given 10 seats to Congress in its camp and that includes the lone seat in Puducherry, besides allocating 10 seats to its other allies - the two Left parties and the VCK get two each, MDMK of Vaiko gets one seat and IUML one, besides one each for KMDK and IJK. As it is left with only 20 seats, the DMK has requested its allies (barring the Left) to contest on its 'Rising Sun' symbol. While the IJK and the KMDK readily agreed to that, Vaiko and VCK chief Thirumavalavan are yet to decide.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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