Chennai, Mar 21 (Representative) The main Opposition AIADMK in Tamil Nadu clinched seat sharing deal with the DMDK of late actor-politician Vijayakanth, Puthiya Tamilagam (PT) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) on Wednesday and released the first list of candidates for the April 19 Lok Sabha polls. The first list of 15 candidates, which had several new faces, were released by AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami. He also announced that apart from DMDK, PT, SDPI, parties like Puratchi Bharatham and the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) have also allied with the AIADMK, making it a formidable alliance. Talking to reporters after releasing the list, Mr Palaniswami said several smaller orgnaisations have also expressed their support for his party.
He said the DMDK, which had contested four seats under the same alliance in the 2019 LS polls and drew a blank, was allotted five seats including Tiruvallur (Reserved), Central Chennai, Cuddalore, Thanjavur and Virudhunagar. The PT and the SDPI were given Tenkasi (SC) and Dindigul seats respectively. The AIADMK had already severed its ties with former ally the BJP and had walked out of the NDA, while another partner, PMK, though initially inclined for a tie up with the Dravidian party and was all set to sign the seat sharing deal, suddenly shifted to the BJP-led alliance. Asked whether the PMK-BJP alliance had caused disappointment, especially as PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss was elected to the Rajya Sabha with the help of the AIADMK a few years ago, Mr. Palaniswami replied in the negative.
He said the AIADMK is an organisation that was more than five-decades old and stands on its own feet. “If others come to us for an alliance, we are happy. If they do not come, we are still happy”, he added. Mr Palaniswamy justified fielding new faces in most of the seats in the first list and said they were well qualified and if they win the polls, they would raise the people’s issues effectively in Parliament. Parrying a question on the electoral prospects of the BJP-led alliance, Mr Palaniswami said the AIADMK contested alone in 2014 Lok Sabha polls and recorded a historic victory bagging 37 seats. “It is for the people to decide and our alliance is with the people”, he added.