CHENNAI: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is set to sign seat-sharing agreements with its alliance partners on January 20 and 21 for the upcoming Assembly elections ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit.
The AIADMK is pushing ahead with alliance negotiations to show concrete results when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Tamil Nadu soon. During the visit, the BJP plans to bring leaders of all alliance parties onto the same platform in Madurai.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu, led by the AIADMK, has already commenced talks with the BJP and the PMK. Negotiations with the GK Vasan-led TMC, the IJK and the TMMK are expected to happen soon. Talks are also underway between the AIADMK and the DMDK on bringing the party back into the NDA fold. Meanwhile, the BJP is making efforts to bring the TTV Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) into the alliance.
Against this backdrop, the BJP’s election in-charge for Tamil Nadu and Union Minister Piyush Goyal is expected to camp in the State on January 20 and 21. Sources said the finalised seat-sharing agreement between the AIADMK and the BJP was likely to be signed during this period.
Seat-sharing agreements are also expected to be concluded with parties, including the PMK, the TMC, the IJK and the TMMK. The BJP is learnt to be seeking 35 seats, compared with the 20 it contested in the 2021 Assembly elections. The AIADMK, meanwhile, has decided not to contest fewer than 165 seats. In the 2021 polls, it contested 178 seats.
Although the AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran has not yet officially confirmed joining the NDA, sources said that efforts were continuing to bring the party into the alliance. It is believed that a seat-sharing agreement with the AMMK could also be signed on January 20 and 21.