PMK Joins NDA Fold, To Contest on 10 Seats in Tamil Nadu

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: In a major development, the Bharatiya Janata Party clinched a seat-sharing deal with Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday, March 19. 

BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai and PMK founder Dr S Ramados signed the pact at the Thailapuram residence of the latter. As per the seat-sharing pact, the PMK will contest on 10 seats. 

"PMK will fight from 10 seats in Tamil Nadu in the NDA," Annamalai later told reporters in a joint press briefing with PMK President and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Anbumani Ramadoss. Both leaders insisted that the PMK has been in the NDA for the past 10 years, fighting the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls as a constituent of the BJP-led bloc. 

How Alliance With PMK Will Benefit BJP 

The PMK is a Vanniyar community-dominated party and has significant influence in some of the northern districts of the state. The alliance could thus significantly benefit the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. 

Annamalai said that the political scenario has changed due to PMK's decision to join the NDA fold. “It is a strong alliance. The political scenario has changed due to the decision taken by the PMK to align with the BJP-led NDA. We came to Thailapuram from Coimbatore overnight. Both leaders Ramadoss and Anbumani Ramadoss will be taking part in the public meeting in Selam today where PM Modi will deliver his speech,” said Annamalai after sealing the seat-sharing pact with PMK. 

Annamalai heaped praises on Ramadoss, saying he wanted to implement "revolutionary" ideas for the benefit of the society which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was doing presently.