MDMK, IUML and KMDK (DMK Symbol) have been given one seat each while VCK, CPM, CPI get two seats each in the Lok Sabha polls…reports Asian Lite News
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has finalised the seat-sharing taks with the alliance ahead of the 2024 general election. Congress is set to contest nine seats in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry while the ruling DMK will contest on 21 seats.
In one or two days DMK is likely to release the candidates list also.
The seats on which Congress will fight in Tamil Nadu are Thiruvallur, Krishnagiri, Karur, Cuddalore, Myladuthurai, Sivagangai, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari.
MDMK, IUML and KMDK (DMK Symbol) have been given one seat each while VCK, CPM, CPI get two seats each in the Lok Sabha polls.
Earlier, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said “The Congress will contest elections for nine seats in Tamil Nadu and one seat in Puducherry. On the remaining seats, we will support the candidates of the DMK and alliance parties. We will win all seats in Tamil Nadu.”
“The Congress and the DMK will not get separated,” he emphasised.
On Sunday the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK Chief MK Stalin attended the closing day of the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra in Mumbai. Stalin applauded former Congress President Rahul Gandhi for the Yatra and plegded his support to the INDIA bloc.
“My dear brother Rahul Gandhi has completed the Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, traversing the length and breadth of India to unite us all. With a heart filled with compassion and a vision for justice, he stands as a guiding light, countering divisive forces with the strength of unity and inclusivity” the Tamil Nadu CM posted on X.
Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the DMK-led alliance secured a landslide victory by bagging 38 out of 39 seats. The Congress, which was also a part of the alliance, bagged 8 seats out of the nine contested. The DMK had a vote share of 33.2 percent while the Congress’ vote share was 12.9 percent.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, won only one seat.
Makkal Needhi Maiam president and actor Kamal Hassan has also announced his decision to support DMK led alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. (ANI)
PMK joins hands with BJP
The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) on Monday entered an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu, and will be a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
For the past several days, PMK, which has a significant influence in northern Tamil Nadu, has been oscillating between the AIADMK and the BJP.
PMK founder and party leader S. Ramadoss, and its former state unit president, G.K. Mani were in favour of an alliance with the AIADMK. However, the party’s Tamil Nadu unit president and son of S. Ramadoss – Anbumani Ramadoss, wished for an alliance with the BJP.
The BJP, according to sources, is likely to offer a Cabinet berth to Anbumani Ramadoss in the next government. Anbumani Ramadoss is also a former Union Health minister.
Political analysts believe that the BJP, by stitching an alliance with the PMK, can gain tremendously in several districts of Tamil Nadu, and that could be a setback for the AIADMK in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
A senior leader of the PMK said, “We don’t know why Anbumani is preferring a BJP alliance. In the long term game, it is the tie-up with the AIADMK that would benefit the PMK and not an alliance with the BJP. Without a Dravidian majority, survival in Tamil Nadu politics is almost zero. PMK has to take several factors into consideration before jumping into a conclusion and in a couple of days a decision will be taken.”
He also said that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 Assembly elections, BJP and PMK were together in the NDA alliance led by the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.
The PMK has considerable influence in several northern districts of Tamil Nadu and the decision of electoral tie-up could lead to even a split in the strongholds of the party.
Political analyst, Dr. Krishnan Mahesh said, ”Dr. Ramadoss being a shrewd politician is weighing the pros and cons. He is the one who brought prosperity to the Vanniyar people by getting reservations in education and jobs and standing up to the rights of the community. He is highly respected and has a major say in the party and Anbumani will fall in line to the decision of Dr. Ramadoss.“
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