AIADMK-PMK alliance deal almost confirmed

Besides the 20 per cent reservation quota for Vanniyars, demands of PMK leader Dr S Ramadoss have been conveyed to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and a consensus appears to be brewing on both sides, sources added.

The AIADMK has also agreed to give a lion’s share of seats to the PMK, somewhere between 30 and 40 seats, in the NDA alliance when compared to the BJP and the DMDK. The party wants to form a mega alliance in the state to take on the formidable DMK -Congress combine.

Regional satrap and AIADMK strongman Minister CVe Shanmugham had also conveyed to the party high command about the need to ally with the PMK, which has a traditional vote bank in Vanniyar-dominated north Tamil Nadu and parts of Dharmapuri, Salem and Erode.

However, the alliance talks with the DMDK has hit a roadblock. “The open support of Premalatha Vijayakant to ousted AIADMK leader VK Sasikala had irked the AIADMK leaders and this is one of the reasons delaying the alliance talks.

Though the DMDK has invited the AIADMK to start the alliance talks, the ruling party is currently working to seal the deal with the PMK . After this, negotiations with other allies will commence,”. said AIADMK sources

Meanwhile, the open greetings from Premalatha, supporting ousted AIADMK leader Sasikala, has elated the AMMK cadres. There is every possibility of the DMDK joining hands with the AMMK and we are also pinning hopes on the merger of the AIADMK and AMMK before the Assembly polls, a senior AMMK functionary, who is also a district secretary, told DT Next.

In a related development, AIADMK deputy coordinator KP Munusamy told reporters in Krishnagiri that the party high command might consider taking back TTV Dhinakaran into the party, if he submitted an apology.