CHENNAI: In what is interpreted as a sign of a hiccup in seat-sharing talks, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami is rushing to Delhi on Thursday (March 19), reportedly after being summoned by Union Home Minister and the BJP’s troubleshooter Amit Shah.
According to sources, the BJP has sought more than 50 constituencies, including some seats in Chennai such as T Nagar, which the AIADMK considers to be its strongholds with high chances of victory. The disagreement has reportedly delayed a final agreement between the two parties.
Earlier, senior BJP leader and party in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Piyush Goyal, was scheduled to arrive in Chennai to hold talks with Palaniswami to work out a seat-sharing formula. However, his visit was cancelled after indications that the AIADMK was firm on offering only about 27 constituencies, which the BJP leaders find unacceptable.
In the midst of this, Amit Shah is said to have asked Palaniswami to come to Delhi immediately to hold talks directly. Palaniswami is scheduled to leave for Delhi on the 10.45 am flight.
In Delhi, Palaniswami is expected to meet Shah and Goyal to discuss the seat-sharing arrangement and finalise the constituencies to be contested by each party in the alliance.