Status: Not ApprovedHEAD: 24_Che_JM_AIADMK is ready to give 25 seats to BJPByline: Julie MariappanAIADMK is ready to give 25 seats to BJP.After Madurai on March 1, PM Modi is likely to visit Thanjavur on March 11.Julie.Mariappan@timesofindia.comChennai: After winning 4 of the 20 Assembly seats it contested in the last election, the BJP is pressing the AIADMK for a larger share of seats this time, with its leaders seeking at least 1 seat per district. However, AIADMK leaders are said to be prepared to offer around 25 seats as part of a broader strategy to challenge the DMK-led front, highly placed sources told TOI. Both parties are also preparing to project unity and momentum during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Madurai on March 1, followed by a likely public rally in Thanjavur on March 11.A senior AIADMK leader said the BJP’s national leadership is focused on securing constituencies it can realistically win rather than negotiating for a higher number of seats. “AIADMK is willing to part with 25 seats on that basis. It may raise the BJP’s seats to as many as 30, depending on how effectively the alliance can be consolidated and whether additional partners can be brought in,” he added. In 2021, the BJP won Modakurichi, Coimbatore South, Tirunelveli and Nagercoil, represented by C Saraswathi, Vanathi Srinivasan, State President Nainar Nagenthran and M R Gandhi. The party’s victory margins ranged from a narrow 281 votes in Modakurichi to over 23,000 votes in Tirunelveli.Beyond those wins, the BJP faced heavy defeats in several constituencies. Union minister L Murugan narrowly lost Dharapuram by 1,393 votes, while the party suffered huge-margin losses in seats including Harbour, Thalli, Tiruvannamalai, Thousand Lights, Tirukkoyilur, Udhagamandalam, Aravakkurichi, Tittakudi, Thiruvaiyaru, Karaikudi, Madurai North, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Colachal and Vilavancode, with margins ranging roughly from 21,000 to 95,000 votes.Within the BJP, some local leaders argue the party should receive 30 to 40 seats, citing a shifting political landscape, including a weakened PMK and the DMDK’s move towards the DMK alliance. “Since the poll deal is struck by the national leadership, the local unit has no say in the number of seats,” said a BJP leader. Union minister Piyush Goyal, the party’s election in-charge for Tamil Nadu, is expected to visit soon, which may clarify the seat-sharing arrangement.Meanwhile, AIADMK and BJP leaders are closely tracking developments within the PMK, where founder Ramadoss called a meeting of district secretaries on Thursday to discuss electoral strategy. Differing views within the party—between those favouring the AIADMK and others leaning towards Vijay’s TVK—left Ramadoss weighing his options. “AIADMK will have an alliance only with a party that has a name and symbol,” said a former minister. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami is also set to campaign in Maduravoyal and Poonamallee on February 25, and in Tambaram and Pallavaram on February 26.EOM// MSID:: 128757877 413 |
