CHENNAI: After holding parallel talks with the DMK and the AIADMK, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) appears to have decided to join the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu, according to sources.
It is said that the decision was taken by party general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth during the final round of discussions held on the sidelines of the Mahashivaratri event organised by the Isha Foundation in Coimbatore.
The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan and senior AIADMK leader SP Velumani, a key aide of party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Leaders of the BJP and the AIADMK have been engaged in efforts to bring the DMDK into the alliance. Senior AIADMK leader and former Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan had earlier expressed confidence that the party would join the front.
Sources said seat-sharing discussions have been finalised and a formal agreement is likely to be signed shortly. If the alliance materialises, the DMDK is expected to be allotted a double-digit number of Assembly constituencies and one Rajya Sabha seat.
Premalatha Vijayakant is also expected to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public meeting in Madurai on March 1. Seat-sharing is likely to be concluded before the Madurai event, and she may share the stage.
Madurai holds sentimental significance for the party as it is the hometown of its founder, the late Vijayakant.
Meanwhile, the DMDK has begun receiving applications from party cadres seeking to contest the forthcoming Assembly election.
In the last Lok Sabha election, the DMDK contested as part of the AIADMK alliance. In the 2021 Assembly election, it allied with the AMMK led by TTV Dhinakaran, but failed to win any of the seats it contested.
Premalatha had earlier said the party would announce its alliance decision at its Cuddalore conference in January. However, no formal declaration was made at the event, and negotiations over seat-sharing continued thereafter.