BJP to contest 2021 TN Assembly polls in alliance with AIADMK: JP Nadda makes it official

In a key development on Saturday, BJP formally announced its tie-up with the ruling AIADMK for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election due in April-May this year. Addressing a rally in Madurai, BJP president JP Nadda made it clear that BJP will go with AIADMK and other like-minded parties. This assumes significance as BJP is yet to endorse incumbent CM E Palaniswami as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the coalition. 

During the 2019 General Election, BJP had stitched an alliance with AIADMK, PMK, DMDK, Puthiya Tamilagam, Tamil Maanila Congress and Puthiya Tamilagam. However, this tie-up could not yield dividends as the DMK-led alliance won 38 out of 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu. In the 2016 TN Assembly polls, BJP fielded candidates in all 234 constituencies but failed to open its account. 

BJP president JP Nadda remarked, "I would like to share with you and reiterate that Bharatiya Janata Party has decided that in the coming times in the election, BJP along with All India Anna DMK and along with like-minded parties will be going for the elections."

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Tamil Nadu's political scenario

In a significant political milestone in TN politics, AIADMK returned to power in 2016 under the leadership of Jayalalithaa for a successive term. In the 234-member Assembly, AIADMK won a whopping 135 seats in contrast to DMK whose candidates could win from 98 constituencies. However, Jayalalithaa's untimely demise on December 5, 2016, led to a vacuum in her party which was initially filled by O Panneerselvam. But, her close confidante VK Sasikala was elected as the General Secretary of the party and sought to take over as the CM of the state in February 2017.

While Panneerselvam resigned from his post and backed her candidature, he subsequently rebelled against her. After the Supreme Court convicted Sasikala in the disproportionate assets case, her camp picked E Palaniswami as Panneerselvam's replacement. On August 21, 2017, AIADMK factions led by the CM and Panneerselvam merged and paved way for the removal of Sasikala from the party. Thereafter, her nephew TTV Dhinakaran formed the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam.

In the upcoming Assembly election, DMK is perceived as the principal challenger to AIADMK owing to its stupendous performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. While filmstar Rajinikanth has decided against taking a political plunge, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam is also in the poll fray in a tie-up with AAP. On the other hand, Sasikala's release from jail is likely to further impact the political scenario in the state. 

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