Chennai: Paatali Makkal Katchi (PMK), an influential political party in northern Tamil Nadu with considerable hold among dominant Vanniyars, was on Tuesday allotted 10 Lok Sabha seats by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming general elections.
State BJP chief K Annamalai and Union Minister of State L Murugan went to the residence of PMK founder S Ramadoss in Thailapuram, on Tuesday morning to formalise the electoral pact.
After signing the agreement, Anbumani Ramadoss said the BJP-PMK alliance will “usher in change” in Tamil Nadu, whose people, he claimed, were “fed up” with 60 years of Dravidian rule.
“People of Tamil Nadu are eagerly waiting for a change. In fact, I can see that the people have hatred for those who have ruled them for 60 years,” Anbumani said, without taking names.
As per the agreement, PMK will vie for 10 Lok Sabha seats, to be disclosed shortly, strategically spanning across northern Tamil Nadu, where the party holds substantial sway among Vanniyars. PMK is also likely to be allotted one seat each in central, western, and southern regions of the state.
PMK President Anbumani said that the party was part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Delhi since 2014, and will now join forces with the BJP to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu. “We decided to join NDA keeping in mind national interests. We are confident that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will steer the NDA to hattrick win,” the former Union Health Minister in UPA-I government said.
Annamalai also said the political scenario in Tamil Nadu has undergone a “change” since Monday night after the PMK’s decision to join the NDA. “There is yearning for a change among the people of Tamil Nadu,” he added.
With the alliance solidified, Ramadoss and his son Anbumani will head to Salem later on Tuesday to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in the western town.
PMK’s decision to join hands with the NDA provides a significant boost to the BJP’s endeavor to forge a strong coalition against the ruling DMK and AIADMK.
The alliance with the PMK will help the BJP in northern Tamil Nadu as the saffron party hopes to increase its vote share this election. The party has also enlisted the support of expelled AIADMK leaders, O Panneerselvam and T T V Dhinakaran, to help woo Mukulathors, a dominant caste spread across Central and Southern Tamil Nadu.
The INDIA bloc, on the other hand has firmed up most of its alliance talks. The DMK-Congress combine has allotted 10 seats to the Congress, one seat to the MDMK and one each to the CPI and CPI(M).
