Tamil Nadu: BJP, AIADMK reach LS poll pact; PMK to support alliance

The BJP and AIADMK on Tuesday stitched a deal to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha polls together in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, a day after the BJP reached a seat-sharing pact with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra for the general elections.

Under the agreement, the BJP will contest five out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and put up its candidate for the lone Lower House seat in Puducherry. The AIADMK is also holding alliance talks with the DMDK led by Vijayakanth and the number of seats it will contest will be known after that.

In yet another understanding, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), led by S Ramadoss, will support the AIADMK-BJP front in the state in the general elections.

Speaking to media here after holding talks with the BJP, AIADMK leader and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said the BJP-All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) alliance will be a winning one.

"For the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the AIADMK and BJP have agreed to form a mega alliance. This alliance will be a winning alliance in both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Under this alliance, the BJP is allotted five seats," he said.

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, who was also present at the media briefing, said the BJP will support the AIADMK in the by-elections to 21 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu.

"We will support the AIADMK in the by-elections on 21 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu. We have agreed to contest elections under the leadership of O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami in the state and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi Ji at the Centre," he said.

Earlier in the day, Panneerselvam had said the PMK, which has a strong voter base in northern Tamil Nadu, especially among the OBC Vanniyar community, will contest on six Lok Sabha seats and will be given one Rajya Sabha seat.

"The PMK joined our alliance today. Seven seats (six Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha) have been allotted to the PMK for the Lok Sabha elections," he said.

The AIADMK had kept its talks with the PMK under wraps as the latter was believed to have been holding discussions with the DMK as well.

While elaborating on by-elections, Panneerselvam said, "We will fight on 21 seats in by-elections and the PMK will support us."

In the 235-member Assembly, the AIADMK has 115 members followed by the DMK with 88 and the Congress eight, besides others. 21 seats are vacant.

In Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP will put up candidates in 25 constituencies while the Shiv will contest the rest 23 seats.