Tamil Nadu assembly elections 2021: AIADMK-PMK finalise seat-sharing deal

The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu on Saturday clinched a seat-sharing deal with ally PMK for the April 6 Assembly elections, allotting the S Ramadoss-headed party 23 seats.

AIADMK Coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said his party and PMK have decided to face the ensuing polls as allies.

"As per the agreement reached between AIADMK and PMK, 23 seats have been allotted to PMK," in the ruling party-led alliance, he said in the presence of Chief Minister K Palaniswami and PMK Youth wing leader and Rajya Sabha member Anbumani Ramadoss.

The AIADMK will hold talks with other allies like TMC and smaller parties in the next two days. “The AIADMK is likely to offer 21 seats for the BJP, 9-10 seats for the DMDK and 4-5 seats for the TMC.

PMK wants to be the second ally,” said a senior AIADMK leader. In the DMK camp, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who began his three-day southern tour on Saturday, seat sharing talks are expected to resume on March 2.

The DMK would subsequently wrap up seat allocation for other allies, including MDMK, VCK, CPI and CPM besides smaller outfits.

Late Satuday evening, AIADMK deputy coordinator KP Munusamy, ministers P Thangamani and S P Velumani met with DMDK leader Vijayakanth in his Saligram residence in Chennai.

DMDK leader Premalatha was, however, out of town and his L K Sudheesh was not present during the ministers’ visit.

The ruling party is also scheduled to hold talks with G K Vasan’s TMC on Monday.

In the last Assembly elections, the PMK went alone and lost all the seats. In 2001, it was part of the AIADMK alliance, contested in 27 seats and won 20. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, both the AIADMK and PMK were part of a grand alliance that included the BJP.

The seat-sharing arrangement was made by AIADMK’s Coordinator O Panneerselvam in the presence of Joint Coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami, PMK president GK Mani and PMK’s youth wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss.